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It was nine years ago this Saturday that David Ruenzel, a popular journalism and literature teacher in the Tri-Valley, was gunned down in broad daylight on a public trail in the Oakland hills.
Ruenzel's murder remains unsolved, despite some potential leads that seemed promising at the time in the fall of 2014, and there haven't really been any major developments in the investigation since or maybe, at least no new details that the East Bay Regional Park District Police Department is comfortable sharing publicly with the news media.
"Unfortunately there's not a lot of information I can give you," Lt. Joseph Scott told me in a phone interview last week. "It's definitely an important case to us, one we're still working on."
Scott said the key facts of the initial investigation are still true as when the department first reported about the deadly shooting, but the lieutenant declined to answer my specific questions trying to get at whether any revelations have occurred in the ensuing nine years has a motive been confirmed, do police have suspects identified, what about the "persons of interest" from 2014, etc.
I get it when the police are tight-lipped with us. The integrity of the investigation has to be paramount for them, and they can't threaten to jeopardize a potential lead or arrest when talking to the press. My general hope, especially with cold cases, is that they work to keep the family as informed as possible.
Those are the people who matter most — Ruenzel's family and the many students and readers he impacted throughout his long career as an author and educator.
I was unable to connect with Ruenzel's loved ones in the lead-up to this column. The "Remembering Dave Ruenzel" group on Facebook was filled with messages of support for the family and recollections about the beloved husband, father, grandfather, teacher and storyteller.
A story of remembrance from his son and a song written and performed by his daughter each posted on the day after his birthday in 2021 really stand out on the Facebook page, which remains active after all of these years.
His memory also lives on at The Athenian School, the private school at the foothills of Mount Diablo in Danville where he taught for nearly 10 years right up until his death. "The David Ruenzel Journalism Room" in the school's library is dedicated in his honor.
"David is thought of often at this time of year by current and alumni community members," Eric Niles, head of school at Athenian, told me in a statement this month.
Musadiq Bidar, an Athenian alum, called Ruenzel "one of the best teachers and mentors that I could have asked for while attending Athenian. David taught me the value of journalism and helped me understand the fundamentals of reporting. He encouraged me to ask questions, be curious and tell stories that included everyone's voice."
"His passion for teaching and sharing his knowledge made me excited for journalism class every week. I still have a couple of copies of The Pillar (newspaper) that we published when I took his class," Bidar added. "I am grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from David and I will always remember him as someone who helped guide me towards the right path at an important time in my life."
Ruenzel's obituary remembered "an education journalist and teacher who spurred both national debate and reform, who challenged convention yet championed the classics of English literature-but always with a good-humored irreverence. A published author, essayist and poet, words were his oxygen, ideas his abiding intellectual and emotional sustenance, and solitude in nature his time for reflection."
That represents a good glimpse at the life taken so suddenly during Thanksgiving week nine years ago.
EBRPD police originally reported that Ruenzel, 60, was found mortally wounded at Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve on Skyline Boulevard in Oakland — one of his favorite and frequent hiking destinations — at 3:25 p.m. on Nov. 25, 2014.
Officers responding to reports of gunfire located Ruenzel lying down on a trail south of a staging area. Paramedics subsequently pronounced him dead at the scene.
Investigators determined he'd arrived at the park just moments before, at 3:12 p.m., and it was 12 minutes later when witnesses heard three gunshots.
Police at the time released sketches of two men seen in the area who were explicitly deemed "persons of interest", and not suspects, at the time. Scott said he could not confirm whether those men were ever identified or if they were still considered relevant to the case.
The lieutenant said no motive had been confirmed yet, but nothing obvious had been removed from the table either. In 2014, police said robbery was a possibility because Ruenzel's wallet was taken and his credit cards were used in Oakland after his death.
Though he did not want to comment on any specific hurdles with the Ruenzel investigation, Scott told me that cold cases present a range of difficulties in general.
"It's just the amount of time that has gone by. Witnesses don't remember as much, that kind of thing," he said, while reiterating Ruenzel's homicide is still one the department is working to solve.
Anyone with information about the case can call the East Bay Parks police tip line at 510-690-6521.
Editor's note: Jeremy Walsh is the editorial director for the Embarcadero Media East Bay Division. His "What a Week" column is a recurring feature in the Pleasanton Weekly.
