down of cowell by a police body camera when he was sited. the photos were made public monday along with a mug shot and he was recognized by riders who called to this dispatch center and helped police clock him that afternoon as he road b.a.r.t. again. then switched trains at 12th, 19th or at the scene of the crime on to an antioch train and he was picked up on that train when it was stopped at pleasant hill. >> it's all evidence now. >> yes it is. >> reporter: cameras were used to track this suspect. from the bay station to the transit bus where these photos were taken. >> we have cameras right here. of these cameras weren't working they were dummies. >> some were dummies and some weren't. then what happened is we had a passenger that was shot on board a train and b.a.r.t. step upped and said we need to deploy all these decoys. we need working cameras in every car. >> reporter: now b.a.r.t. is asking for more cameras. they put a request for $11 million more for cameras and other security upgrades along the b.a.r.t. lain. -- b.a.r.t. train. s

was. >> reporter: cowell was unarmed, gave his name, and id, and did not resist. it's likely how he was riding bart. there were many moves parts to putting the -- moving parts to putting the case together. >> he had his clothes in a parking stretch kerr, a knife was -- stretcher, a knife was located, video, and we had to track him down to make sure this was the correct individual. >> reporter: the chief knows officers were in the mcarthur station, but not on atform when stabbed. >> a prison yard type of attack where the guy came up behind nia, and stabbed her in rapid succession two times, and stabbed her sister in the same way. >> reporter: more officers help prevent violent crime, but in this case it was over in an instant. >> it happened that quick. >> reporter: he has nothing connecting cowell to any white supremacy groups that everything is on the table as far as motive. his previous conviction is for robbery, he served two years can and paroled just a few months ago. live in oakland, ktvu fox 2 news. >>> now to amber lee, she was at a large vigil held tonigh

cowell got on at the concord station along with three sisters. as they arrived at if macarthur station, he slashed nia wilson's neck and killed her. her sister was wounded. police say he ran off and changed clothes after the murder, and tossed the weapon, triggering a day-long manhunt and leaving bart riders on edge. >> as they were transferring at the macarthur platform, they were approached by an individual with a knife, who struck very rapidly. it was in my close to 30 years of police experience probably one of the most vicious attacks that i've seen. >> reporter: the alameda county sheriff's department says cowell has been arrested for a number of crimes and was just released two months ago after serving a sentence for robbery. he has two restraining orders against him, one by a woman and one by kaiser permanente after they say he threatened an employee there. police don't know if this was a racially motivated attack. of course they are investigating all angles and this morning there will be a special meeting at the bart headquarters. an advi

nbc's melissa colorado was inside the courtroom earlier today. >> this sketch shows cowell dressed in a jump suit. he stood silently while the judge read out loud the charges filed against him. he is charged with the murder of nia wilson and premeditated attempted murder of her sister, letifah wilson. >> our whole community, it's an awful situation and that's why we are treating it with the seriousness we have. >> cowell already has two felony convicts on his record. one of them stems from a 2016 incident in which he stole items from this lucky in el cerrito and when a security guard tried to stop him, cowell pulled out a toy gun and a box cutter. the alameda county district attorney said she is still looking into whether sunday's attack was a hate crime. >> we have a job to do which is to bring justice for the victims and the community. >> that was melissa colorado reporting. she was also tweeting from the courthouse this afternoon and that includes this video showing nia wilson's family waiting to go inside of that courtroom. you can follow all of our reporters for videos and update

police say cowell stabbed wilson and her sister in the neck at the macarthur b.a.r.t. station on sunday night. >> i am just so sad for my baby. that is all i know. >> alameda county district attorney nancy o'malley said she expects to put cowell in prison for the rest of his life. >> it is just a ruthhoible crim overwhelming tragedy for the family as well as for our whole community. >> cowell is due back in court next month for arraignment. >>> b.a.r.t. is trying to reassure its riders who are worried about safety. tonight, new numbers show there has been a dramatic spike in violent crime over the last decade. kpix 5's joe vasquez spoke to one b.a.r.t. ward member who says it is time to take action. >> this is really a devastating situation for our system. she is not going to be forgotten. >> reporter: the transit system needs to do more about safety. >> there is tremendous pain about what has happened. i think there is a genuine concern on the part of riders. they want to see us step up. >> reporter: a spokesperson for b.a.r.t. says overall crime has remained flat ove

cowell did not enter a plea and the arraignment was continued to august 22nd. cowell's family says he's battled bi-polar disorder and schizophrenia...but the d-a says she's confident he will be declared mentally competent to stand trial. (vicki) bart police are examining their security cameras to pin down john cowell's movements bfore, during and after the fatal stabbing of nia wilson and wounding of her sister. officials admit it was a bit of a surprise to learn that he was back on the trains. a bart spokesman say cowell was first spotted when he entered the bart system sunday at the concord station after bart police released these photos of john cowell investigators received their first tip from a male passenger who spotted him at the coliseum station. officials say ultimately that tip from the colisem station led to his arrest within the hour. (sot) "all of our cameras work. some cameras are even real time. some just record. so it's trying to get everything together so we present the best case possible. and we have turned all of that over to the da's office.

. >> who has been identified now as john cowell, this man, take a look. bart police call him arm and dangerous with good reason, of course. we have team coverage on this story tonight, the sister who was attacked and survives with abc 7 reporter melanie woodrow. >> first, let's hear from amanda with the latest on the investigation. >> yeah, there is -- excuse me, there is an added challenge in this investigation into the they say the man was a transient, meaning he doesn't have a permanent address. also, they say he is a violent felon. 18-year-old nia wilson and her sister boarded a bart train in concord sunday night. bart police say the suspect and victims rode the same train to macarthur bart station. unprovoked, the suspect pulled out a life and attacked the young women. the suspect killed nia and wounded her older sister. >> everything that we've uncovered up to this point, we see no altercation. we don't have any information that there was any type of dispute. >> no reason this should have happened. however, the suspect still managed to get away. chi

cowell's arraignment got put over to august 22nd. also a 2016 misdemeanor charge against him was vacated to allow for a speedy trial in this case. nia wilson's mother said she wants bart to do more. >> they need to -- my baby died on a slab, man. i don't want it to happen to nobody else. >> we haven't alleged a hate crime. we're still investigating and gathering evidence to see. there has to be evidence to show it was motivated by hate, and in this case whether it was motivated by gender or race. >> reporter: cowell is facing murder charges in connection with nia wilson's stabbing death and premeditated, deliberated attempting murder for allegedly stabbing her sister latifa wilson. both charges carry life sentences. when asked, district attorney of mallee said she is not concerned that cowell will not be competent to stand trial. she said she believes he will be competent to stand trial. she wouldn't comment on the evidence. but according to the charging documents, cowell discarded a backpack that had items inside of it that had his

cowell has a long criminal history. he had been paroled in may and now he has new charges to face including murder. he is in jail. oakland, amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. >> thank you. >>> bart police are looking for a man behind another deadly attack. it happened in san leandro. take a look at these new surveillance images. bart police say this man punched another man on the bay fair station platform on saturday. the victim hit his head and later died at the hospital. >>> after a week of violent crime, bart is urging everyone to install the bart watch app on their phone. the app allows you to take a photo of an incident and file a report with bart. you can report things like people urinating on trains and drug use. if there's no time to use the app, bart says you should call the police or exit the train as soon as possible. we have put together a list of things you can do to stay safe while riding bart. you can find it out on our app, it's just easy to download on your app store and find those tips on our website, abc7new

bart police managed to track down john cowell-- all through an anonymous tip from a bart rider.....(grant) the arrest comes after hundreds of people gathered for a vigil for nia wilson at the macarthur bart station where she was killed.(jr stone) kron 4's ali reid joins us live from oakland tonight-- with details on the arrest...ali? bart police say the suspect was arrested without trouble on an antioch bound train at the pleasant hill station. they're still looking for a motive .... right now there's no indication that this stabbing was racially motivated, but police have not ruled it out.surveillance footage and witness statements indicate that john cowell attacked 18 year old nia and her 26 year old sister lahtifah very quickly and without provocation.latifah was stabbed in the neck but is in stable condition recovering at a local hospital.nia passed away at the scene.an anonymous tip is what led police to the suspect this evenig.last night cowell discarded his clothes in a parking structure, which police say shows he was conscious of his guilt.and they believe they've recovered

bart police tracked down john cowell...and arrested him after receiving an anonymous tip from a bart rider... kron 4's ali reid has the details on the arrest. bart police say the suspect was arrested without incident on a bart train.the train was heading to antioch ... it all went down at the pleasant hill station.pkg27 year old transient john lee cowell is now off the streets.he needs to be punished for what he's done to nia and her sisterthe manhunt started sunday night, but it was an anonymous tip that led police to him. all i want is justice for my daughterspolice are still looking for a motive .... right now there's no indication that this stabbing was racially motivated, but police have not ruled it out. surveillance footage and witness statements indicate that cowell attacked 18 year old nia and her 26 year old sister lahtifah very quickly and without provocation. nia passed away at the scene. latifah was stabbed in the neck but is in stable condition recovering at a local hospital.i know from my sister who survived, that she said he came up behind them and started stabbing fo

cowell was caught shoplifting and carrying drug paraphernalia. scott alonzo says police also found him with this. >> a tear gas canister, i believe he was found with. >> in may 2016, his most serious crime back then, second degree robbery at lucky in el >> the loss prevention officer attempted to confront and detain, and that's when the defendant reached out with a handgun. >> reporter: it turned out to be a toy gun. he ran from the store, and he was caught here at the bart station. >> our prosecutors sought that felony charge and he ultimately was sentenced to state prison for two years in october of 2016. >> reporter: well, cowell served a sentence and was released on parole. incidentally we're told by bart authorities that cowell has deep roots to north concord. he has tattoos on one that says north concord, another one on his neck which says 925. of course that is the area code for concord, as well as all of contra costa county. and that was the tattoo which the tipster told police about when he called officers saying that he had just seen co

this parole violation hearing came after cowell was charged with murder and attempted murder. he was released from jail about four months ago after spending two years in prison. another hearing on that was scheduled for tomorrow morning. cowell's next court appearance for the murder of nia wilson and the attempted murder of her sister will come on august 22 >> no pol deadly triple shooting in antioch early this morning. bullets flew in t of an applebee's restaurant. >>> happening now a group of mothers is holding a three day hunger strike in oakland over the white house's separation policy. called mom's rising they're outside the federal building on clay street downtown. they claim hundreds of children still need to be reunited with their families. >> so this is a way of unifying all across the nation to say that we will not accept this type of trauma and terror being inflicted upon people. >> organizers say other strikes are planned throughout the country, and they will take place one after another. >>> today cbs could decide the fate of its ceo following allegations of sexua

confirming that cabell is in administrated -- cowell is an administrative detention. and administrative segregation. >> a long, extensive history of this history -- access -- he has an extensive history, that's part of the reason that we haven't segregated, as will of the seriousness of the crime. >> reporter: he is scheduled to appear in court tomorrow morning, he will be formally charged with killing nia wilson and attacking her sister. ktvu fox 2 news. >> authorities, i know they are not saying a whole lot, are they describing at all is demeanor? what he is like, anything like that?>> reporter: yes, you may have picked it up from the interview that we did there, they say that he was acting as if he didn't know why they were looking for him, he said why are you looking for me, and they said you might be a suspect in the case, they might've had some kind of communication, but he hasn't made any kind of statements to implicate himself, that was the last report we had. meanwhile, he has asked for an attorney, and as we told you before, he will be in court tomorrow morn

now john lee cowell.. is waiting to find out the charges he is facing. he was caught while sitting on a bart train. police say cowell seemed surprised when they boarded and asked to speak with him about the violent fatal stabbing of 18 year old nia wilson and the attack on her sister. z, bart police dept. he was very calm, sitting on the train, he voluntered to get off, no use of force, and did not find any weapons. deputy chief alvarez. once we was in custody, and jail, he asked for a lawyer. > (grant) as for (grant) as for charges... police say they are working with the alameda county d-a's office for one count of murder and assault with a deadly weapon. but they may ask for attempted murder for the other attack on nia wilson's sister lahtifa. (vicki) for the first time we are hearing from the family of the deadly bart stabbing suspect john cowell... (grant) his family is talking about the mental illness which they say was diagnosis. kron4's haziq maadyun has more.. in a story you'll see only here on kron4. a woman who described herself as john cowell'

police say 27-year-old john cowell attacked them with a knife. latifah says cowell stabbed her 18-year-old sister nia in the neck first, and he didn't say a word. >> and i looked back, and he was wiping off his knife and stood at the stairs and just looked. she didn't do nothing to nobody. i didn't do nothing to nobody. and for this to happen is just outright crazy. >> latifah has stitches in her neck from the attack, and their other sister who was there suffered bruises. >> meanwhile, oakland mayor libby schaaf says oakland police are making every resource available to help b.a.r.t. police in their investigation. she says more needs to be done to keep b.a.r.t. passengers safe. >> obviously, police presence is only one factor that contributes to a safe environment. so that is our job, to look at all of the different ways that we can create a safe and comfortable environment for all our commuters. >> she says the arrest of james cowell is the first step in bringing justice for nia wilson and her family. we have more reaction to this b.a.r.t. stabb

down of cowell by a police body camera when he was sited. the photos were made public monday along with a mug shot and he was recognized by riders who called to this dispatch

bart police chief says tips from bart passengers led to the arrest of john lee cowell. the 27-year-old is a transient, officers took him into custody tonight at the pleasant hill bart station after topping him on a train headed for -- father says she a train headed loved make up and fashion, and had hopes to join the military. she had almost finished high school, and the family was planning a graduation celebration later this year. >> a crowd of about 500 people gathered at the mcarthur bart station to demand justice. >> we have team coverage. amber heard from the victim's family, and has reaction from the community. we begin with debra, and what the chief says as he made the announcement about the arrest. >> reporter: arrested at 6:30, 21 hours after it happened. the chief had called this kill one of the most vicious he had ever seen in his career. as for a racial component, he says every possibility is being looked at. >> this is really about the justice for nia wilson, her sister latifah, and their family. >> reporter: bart police chief says he hopes the arrest of 27

wilson's family is dismissing reports that cowell has mental health issues. >> no, he is not mentally ill. it's about as usual here in america against our people. it's racism in america. >> basically, i think it's an excuse. i hate to say that, but, you know, um, why would you choose two young black girls? that's all i want to say. two particular people of color to do this to. >> reporter: there is no evidence to suggest a hate crime. the what was about to graduate from honors and planned to join the military. >> i will never see my daughter again. i just want justice. that's all. >> reporter: dad says the family has been receiving support from the community and love. he says he wants to say thank you. >> thank you. >>> coming up, just one mega millions ticket sold. now worth half a billion dollars and it was sold in the bay area. at 6:45 hear from the owners of the store where it was sold. >> the united states is a country where you can realize your dreams. >> first the ferguson fire forces the closure of yosemite national park. we'll have details on the firefight there and show you

rider of the arrest of 27-year-old john cowell. he was found at the pleasant hills station. they were able to track him down because of tips from b.a.r.t. passengers. he is accused of stabbing nia wilson to death sunday night at the macarthur b.a.r.t. station. also of stabbing her sister who did survive. police are calling this so far, it looks like, a random attack. they say they do not have a motive. >> we haven't connected him with any type of radical group or white supremacist group of anything like that. >> cowell does have a lengthy rap sheet, according to our media partner the east bay times. that includes a restraining order from kaiser, which said he had threatened to kill an employee there. he has also served two years for robbery. unty jail. is in the alameda reporting live from oakland, amy hollyfield, abc 7 news. >> there's a lot of relief in the community because of that. thank you. >> i'm her protector and i feel like i didn't protect her. that's what latifah wilson told us about her sister, nia. latifah was also stabbed and still has no idea why. wilson said

be on the look for this man, john lee cowell. the pd says he's a transient meaning he doesn't have a permanent address and adds another challenge. they stopped him just eight days prior. 18-year-old niya and letifah wilson boarded the bart station. unprovoked the suspect pulled out a knife and killed niya and wounded her older sister. mostus attacks i've seen. >> reporter: police chief, carlos rohoff says they were already patrolling when the attack happened and however the suspect still managed to get away and they found the knife used to kill nia at a construction site. in the past, bart has been criticized for its use of fake decoy cameras and failure to solve serious crimes. but they say the cameras are now working and helped provide another look at the suspect. they side john lee cowell for not having a proof of payment. >> the fact we had an image just killer week of thespt, sht beut on the streets. d coerd ighbor18-year-old said doesn't know nia but feels connected by age. she said at this point in their life they shouldn'

cowell was caught shoplifting and carrying drug paraphernalia. scott alonzo says police also found him with this. >> a tear gas canister, i believe he was found with. >> in may 2016, his most serious crime back then, second degree robbery at lucky in el >> the loss prevention officer attempted to confront and detain, and that's when the defendant reached out with a handgun. >> reporter: it turned out to be

nobody else to happen. >> cowell's arraignment was moved to august. if convicted, he faces a life sentence. in oakland, melanie woodrow, abc 7 news. >> now we want to hear your kesha about safety on bart so we can follow up with bart officials. we're reviving the #dearbart which we launched five years ago during the bart strike. you can voice your concerns on twitter or facebook. and as long as you use that we'll be able to find your comments. >>> today marks one week since a college student mysteriously >>> large parts of yosemite national park are now closed to visitors because of the ferguson fire. those areas will remain closed until at least sunday. flames have not entered yosemite, but firefighters plan on attacking the fire from highway 41. that's a major artery for visitors entering and leaving yosemite, as you probably know. it has burn in order than 60 square miles so far and is 25% contained. so the battle is still raging. the closure of yosemite is a big disappointment, obviously, to a lot of tourists in the bay area who were looking forwa

after the stabbing cowell took off his clothes and left his backpack behind in a b.a.r.t. parking structure and inside the backpack were items with his name and date of birth . on monday evening b.a.r.t. riders spotted him on a train and police arrested him without incident at a pleasant hill station. is charged with murder and attempted murder and also faces enhancements for allegedly using a knife which was recovered by police at a nearby construction site. nancy o'malley says at this point there is no evidence of a hate crime and the motive of the attack is still unknown. she called the attack quote vicious, brutal and ruthless. >> it's a very, very troubling case. it's a brutal, horrific murder and attempted murder, and so for our whole community -- i am not saying b.a.r.t. specifically but for our whole community, it's an awful situation and that's why we are treating it with the seriousness we have. >> reporter: the da said she can't -- and she can't comment on reports that cowell is if co he could face a double sentence because of the previous charges of robbery and

down john lee cowell last night. officers confronted john lee cowell and said he gave them his name and id and was arrested without incident. desiccator say john lee cowell is a transient -- investigators say john lee cowell is a transient. >> this is about the justice for nia wilson, her sister lahtifa wilson, and their family. >> is accused of attacking nia wilson at the -- he is accused of attacking nia wilson at the bart at form. authorities say he stabbed him seriously injured her sister, lahtifa wilson, who has been released from the hospital. the police chief called one of the most vicious he has ever seen. investigators are still investigating whether race was a factor in the killing. >>> families and friends of nia wilson her honoring her life and remembering her as being beautiful and loving. ktvu's reporters at the bart station now. there is a memorial out there for nia wilson. >> reporter: we have seen many people on their way into macarthur bart station, stopping to take in the memorial and take a look a