San Leandro murder suspect, victim shared vodka bottle outside store before shooting

SAN LEANDRO — Just before a gunman shot a traveling nurse in the back of the head while the victim was out walking his dog, the two exchanged pleasantries and shared a bottle of vodka together, police say.

Ryan Christie, 47, was shot in the head on the night of June 13. He wasn’t discovered until several hours later, in the early morning of the 14th. His Akita dog stayed by him and was still attached to a leash when police arrived. Christie may have yelled “get off me” just before he was killed, authorities said.

Police eventually identified the suspected murderer as 49-year-old Andre Williams, who allegedly booked a flight to Las Vegas two days after the homicide, but was living in a Tracy man’s garage in early July when he was arrested, according to court records.

Other than that, the killing is a mystery. Police investigators said in court filings that Williams identified himself in surveillance footage of the killing but “offered no explanation other than he could not remember what happened.”

From everything else police can surmise, Christie’s presence on the streets of San Leandro that night wasn’t planned. He was a traveling nurse with a wife in Missouri, but a girlfriend in San Leandro. The girlfriend told police that Christie was drunk and agitated that night so she suggested he walk his dog — a pet he’d brought with him from back home — to cool down, authorities said.

A little before 10 p.m., Christie was seen on surveillance exiting Town and Country Liquor Store on East 14th Street, and that’s when he apparently bumped into Williams. The two drank a bottle of vodka together and things seemed to be going pleasantly. Then they walked out of the camera’s scope, and a gunshot rang out shortly thereafter, authorities said.

Williams was identified in part because he had been contacted as a potential witness to a fatal collision in 2024, at the same location, according to police. He reportedly lived on Dutton Avenue, a short distance from the location of the shooting, but left for Las Vegas within 48 hours of Christie’s death.

Police obtained a warrant to arrest Williams on July 3, and served it four days later, at the Tracy garage. When police searched the garage, they found Williams’ luggage from the Las Vegas trip, authorities said.

Williams has been in jail ever since, without bail. His only criminal convictions are from 20-28 years ago, in Washington, and don’t involve violence, according to court filings. He is next due in court Sept. 5 to enter a plea.