Pokémon Go player killed in CA in 2016, officials say. Now FBI has new lead
Nearly nine years after a college baseball player was fatally shot playing Pokémon Go in a California park, the FBI has released additional information in hopes of closing the case.
The FBI in San Francisco released a sketch of a second person possibly connected to Calvin Riley’s 2016 slaying, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.
Additionally, the FBI is offering a reward of up to $25,000 leading to the identification and arrests of suspects in Riley’s case, the agency said in a June 24 post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“I miss it all. It’s basically torn our family apart. It’s been a nightmare for nine years,” the man’s father, Sean Riley, told KNTV when federal agents took up the case. “It’s been hard. I gotta get up every morning. That’s where I get my strength from.”
Fatal shooting at park
Riley was walking with a friend in Aquatic Park in San Francisco, playing the mobile augmented reality game Pokémon Go, shortly before 10 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6, 2016, federal officials said.
McClatchy News reached out to Niantic Labs, which makes the game, for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
As they walked “near the end of the promenade,” he was fatally shot, the FBI said.
Officials said there were two people in the area when Riley was shot: a man believed to be the driver of a car and a man seen recording video.
The United States Park Police released a sketch of the driver in September 2016, a month after Riley’s death, the East Bay Times reported.
“Additionally, two suspicious vehicles were identified: one 2015 white Hyundai Sonata, and one dark-colored Audi A3 Wagon,” officials said.
The cars arrived at the park shortly before the shooting and left in tandem right after, officials said.
‘A great human being’
“Our family was destroyed and will never be the same,” Riley’s family said of his death in a 2019 statement shared to Facebook.
The 20-year-old was a San Joaquin Delta Community College sophomore and played on the baseball team, the university said in a 2017 news release announcing a United States Park Police’s reward for information in Riley’s slaying.
“Calvin was a great son, big brother, friend and most of all, a great human being,” Riley’s family said. “He had a smile that would break down walls and the heart that would help anyone in need at any time.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI’s San Francisco Field Office at 415-553-7400, or submit a tip online.
This story was originally published June 25, 2025 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Pokémon Go player killed in CA in 2016, officials say. Now FBI has new lead."
