Fluker, Lionel

A 54-year-old father and former freelance photographer for the Oakland Tribune was shot and killed while driving home in East Oakland on Friday night, and the intended target was critically wounded.

It is believed was driving home from his gym shortly after 10 p.m. when a bullet – inte  Fluker was a peaceful and polite man in life, possessing boundless energy, an ear-to-ear grin and an ability to recall just about everyone's name, friends said Saturday. They described him as being as courteous to complete strangers as he was to his photography subjects and friends.

"Lionel worked for the Oakland Tribune over the years, initially as an unpaid intern, simply because he loved the field of photojournalism," said Nick Lammers, director of photography for the Bay Area News Group. "He later worked for (the newspaper) as a freelance photographer, and was a go-to guy that always worked hard making the best images he could."

He took photos for the Oakland Tribune on and off between 1995 and 2007, Lammers said. nded for another man -- struck and killed him as he drove, police said.

Fluker had four siblings, but the oldest, Alex Fluker, a former professional television photographer, died in 2006 at the age of 60. It was that brother who taught Fluker about photography.

Fluker was a prolific photographer, documenting the East Bay from high school, college and professional sports to notables: Tina Turner, former Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, Halle Berry, Jonathan Winters and Phyllis Diller, and musical groups TLC and 'N Sync.

When he wasn't behind the lens, he worked full time in the computer engineering field, his family said.