Alameda man accused of killing 4 family members appears in court

An Alameda man accused of shooting and killing his wife, in-laws, and 6-year-old son appeared in court for the first time Friday afternoon.

Shane Parrish Killian appeared in court briefly. The judge agreed to delay his arraignment.

Several of Killian's past and present coworkers showed up to court, saying they wanted the chance to look him in the eyes to try to make sense of what he's accused of doing. Four of those people spoke with NBC Bay Area about their experiences with Killian.

"I just want to see the dude. I want to look the guy in the face if possible and see if I still see him behind the eyes," said Che Rocchild, who works at the Boilermakers Local 549 Union Training Center

Killian is a boilermaker welder and Rocchild said he has known Killian for around seven years through their various jobs together.

Rocchild took the day off work and came to the Oakland courtroom in hopes of seeing Killian in person.

"I’ve known the guy for years and it didn’t seem -- from what I heard transpire -- didn’t seem like the dude that I know," Rocchild said.

Michael Saxby, who is also a boilermaker welder, went to the Oakland courtroom on Friday too. Saxby said that he and Killian had been working on a crew together for about three months at a refinery in Martinez.

NBC Bay Area obtained a photo showing Killian at work on Wednesday. Coworkers said Killian came to work and left around midday, saying he wasn’t feeling well.

Saxby said nothing felt off that day, but he noted this was the third time in three months that Killian had walked off the job.

"He did seem like he had a very sensitive personality or something," Saxby said. "Like little things went wrong and they sort of ticked him off and he just left."

Then the news broke that Killian had been arrested after police said he shot and killed his four family members and also critically injured his 1-year-old son at their home in Alameda on Wednesday night.

"He did mention some tension between his father-in-law and him," Saxby said. "So we knew about that, but it wasn’t anything that would have led to the actions that happened, as far as we knew."

Killian's coworkers said that Killian's father-in-law and mother-in-law lived with the family at their home in Alameda.

By Friday afternoon, Killian's arraignment hearing began in the Oakland courtroom.

Attorney Palden Ukyab with the Alameda County Public Defender's Office represented Killian.

Ukyab objected to having members of the news media present to take still photographs in the courtroom, saying that "the media has already extensively covered this case" and that there would be "no public interest" in allowing photographs of the proceeding.

Judge Elena Condes denied that request and NBC Bay Area and other outlets were allowed to take photographs as Killian was brought into the courtroom.

Killian entered the courtroom wearing a dark green smock which Alameda County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Tya Modeste described as a "modesty garment." Modeste said those garments are given as a standard practice when "someone comes in for certain crimes, to put them on a  behavioral health watch."

Judge Condes agreed to delay Killian's arraignment until July 22 and reiterated that Killian is being held without bail.

Ukyab declined to do an on-camera interview with NBC Bay Area but did share, "After we get the discovery, we will enter a plea of not guilty."

Alameda County District Attorney Pamela Price's office sent out a release Friday noting that Killian is charged with four counts of murder, one count of attempted murder, corporal injury to a relationship partner, elder or dependent adult abuse, infliction of injury, possession of an assault weapon, possession of an unconventional pistol, and numerous enhancements.

“This is an unimaginable act of violence that leaves us all heartbroken for this family and for the City of Alameda community members shocked and traumatized by this tragedy,” Price said in the release.

NBC Bay Area obtained sheriff’s records from Cherokee County, North Carolina showing that in 2011 Killian was charged with reckless driving and assault with a deadly weapon on a government official, among other charges.

Killian's coworkers said the news of the killings in Alameda had shaken them to the core.

"He was always respectful, usually had a smile on his face, usually joking and kidding," Rocchild said of Killian. "I’ve seen him angry a few times, but who doesn’t [get angry]?"

"I’ve known him for years and kind of feel like, if this was what he did, then maybe I misjudged him?" Rocchild wondered out loud.

Saxby explained that their work crew began to piece the news together of what happened when they recognized Killian's home on news broadcasts Thursday morning. Saxby said that Killian had shown the crew photos of his house recently to share progress on his home repair work.

"It's difficult," Saxby said, his eyes beginning to well up with tears. "I have grandkids. It's difficult."

Killian's coworkers said that Killian talked about his children often and was proud of them. Which is why, they said, it is so difficult to process this news.

"Especially the children, that was the hardest thing between us and the crew is the kids," Saxby said with tears in his eyes. "It didn’t need to be the kids."

Alameda Police said that as of Friday morning, Killian's surviving son remained in critical condition.