SAN LEANDRO (BCN) — A street will be renamed in honor of former San Leandro police Officer Nels “Dan” Niemi on Saturday, the 10th anniversary of the day that he was fatally shot while responding to a neighborhood disturbance.
As a tribute to his legacy, the San Leandro City Council recently authorized the renaming of a portion of Hays Street between East 14th and Davis streets as “Dan Niemi Way.”
A “Celebration of Life” event will be held at Root Park at the corner of East 14th and Hays streets at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Speakers will include Mayor Pauline Russo Cutter, Niemi’s brother, Jim Niemi, and San Leandro Police Chief Sandra Spagnoli. The ceremony will conclude with the unveiling of new street signs at both ends of the block.
Cutter said in a statement, “I am so proud that our city will be able to publicly pay tribute to the life and legacy of Officer Niemi by renaming a street in his honor. This is not something we do regularly here in San Leandro but our City Council felt very strongly that this action would provide an enduring testament to the sacrifice that Officer Niemi made for our community.”
Niemi, who was 42 at the time and is survived by his wife and two children, was responding to a disturbing the peace call at the intersection of Doolitttle Drive and Belvedere Avene at about 11 p.m. on July 25, 2005. He found Irving Ramirez, then 25, and several other men drinking in public and making noise.
Prosecutors said Niemi and Ramirez engaged in a casual conversation, but Ramirez then opened fire, shooting him once in the head and then six more times as he lay helpless on the ground.
Former Alameda County District Attorney Tom Orloff, who prosecuted Ramirez, said Ramirez shot Niemi because he didn’t want to be arrested for violating the terms of his probation for a prior drug conviction by carrying two guns and drugs that night.
Niemi’s death was the first death of a San Leandro police officer in the line of duty in more than 40 years.
Ramirez was convicted in 2007 of first-degree murder as well as the special circumstances of murdering a police officer during the performance of his duties and committing murder to avoid arrest.
He was sentenced to the death penalty and is still on death row. The newly-dedicated section of Hays Street will be closed at 10 a.m. on Saturday until the end of the ceremony, after which that section will be known as “Dan Niemi Way.”
During the closure, traffic will be diverted to Davis Street.