BPD: Homeless housing shooter had 'narco tunnel' under floor
Berkeley police say David Meier, who was prohibited from owning guns due to his criminal record, had ammunition and meth in his room.
Two men are facing serious criminal charges after a shooting inside a supportive housing complex located at a former Berkeley motel, court papers show.
The police investigation began Feb. 9 after security guards at 1461 University Ave., the former Rodeway Inn, heard two men screaming followed by a single gunshot at about 5 p.m.
The guards determined that one of their residents, later identified as David Meier, had fired a gun into another man's room, leaving a hole in the wall. The victim escaped unharmed.
In recent years, the city of Berkeley converted the former Rodeway Inn into a 42-unit permanent supportive housing program with the help of state funding.
When Berkeley police arrived, they found Meier, who they determined to be a felon with a recent gun conviction, from early 2024.
Meier, 32, had been let out of jail on supervised release, police wrote, after agreeing not to own or possess firearms.
Police searched the victim's room and found what appeared to be damage from a shotgun blast along with buckshot in the damaged wall, according to charging papers.
When they searched Meier's room, police discovered what they described in court papers as "a tunnel under a wooden plank" leading to a crawlspace beneath the floor that led to all the other units in the former motel.
Police also found a sign in Meier's room with the phrase, "David's Narco Tunnel!!!" according to court papers.
When police searched the crawlspace, they found more signs, one saying "Narco tunnel exit" and another saying, "Shooting range," police wrote.
Elsewhere in Meier's room, police said they also found multiple spent rounds, a used methamphetamine pipe, a floor safe and a "flag display" holding several kinds of ammunition.
But they didn't find a gun.
During the subsequent investigation, Berkeley police reviewed property security footage and saw that another resident, 40-year-old Frank Solis, had helped Meier smash the victim's window while Meier appeared to yell at the victim.
In the footage, police said they later saw Solis carry a duffle bag out of his room and over to his parents' room several doors down.
Solis later admitted to police that the duffle bag contained an AR-15 rifle unrelated to the shooting, police wrote.
Officers later recovered the rifle in the parents' room and also found a silencer, high-capacity magazines and methamphetamine during their search, BPD wrote.
Police noted in charging papers that Solis is also a convicted felon with multiple no-bail warrants.
"Solis has several outstanding misdemeanor and felony warrants out of Fresno County," police wrote. "Solis should not be in possession of firearms."
A detective wrote in court papers that Meier may have passed off his gun to Solis via the underground tunnel.
Emilie Raguso
After the arrests, the Alameda County DA's office charged Meier with the shooting, gun possession and other crimes, according to court papers.
Last week, a judge held him to answer on the charges. He is set to be arraigned next week as the case proceeds to trial.
Solis, who had been charged with gun possession and other violations, took a plea deal Thursday for the gun charge, according to court records.
He is set to be sentenced in early April.
See the TBS 2025 gunfire map for complete details, including a map legend.
The city of Berkeley initially began leasing the Rodeway Inn property nearly three years ago as it worked to help relocate "unsheltered individuals who had been residing in People’s Park," according to city documents.
In 2023, Berkeley was able to secure more than $14 million from the state, via its Homekey program, to create permanent supportive housing at the University Avenue site.
Last year, as the city moved forward with the Homekey funding, staff reported that 110 people had been served at the motel site, "with 76 people who have exited the program and 38 (50%) of those moving directly into permanent housing."
