OAKLAND -- Veteran Oakland journalist Chauncey Bailey was fatally shot at close range in front of horrified eyewitnesses in a parking lot during Thursday morning's rush hour by a gunman wearing a ski mask.

Authorities identified the 58-year-old Bailey -- who currently is the editor of the Oakland Post and a former longtime reporter for The Oakland Tribune -- as the victim of the shooting.

According to witnesses, the fatal shooting took place at about 7:25 a.m. in a parking lot on 14th and Alice. A man dressed in black and wearing a ski mask walked up to Bailey and brandished a shotgun or automatic weapon.

He then fired two-three shots at close range, killing Bailey. He was shot once in the back and once in the head, Oakland Fire Department Capt. Melinda Drayton said.

Oakland police spokesman Roland Holmgren said the gunman immediately fled the scene and was still at large.

Holmgren also said the attack appeared to be targeted.

"It does not appear to be a random attack," Holmgren said. "It looks like he (the gunman) was looking for this man.. This is madness right now. It's 7:30 a.m. in the middle of downtown Oakland."

Bailey grew up in Oakland and had worked at other area media outlets including KDIA radio and Soul Beat TV. In June, he was named editor of the Post, a weekly community newspaper.

Gwendolyn Carter, the paper's advertising manager, said the staff of about 10 people was shocked by news of Bailey's killing.

"He was a good man," Carter said. "He always took care of me. He would say I was his little sister and he was my big brother."

Sources said Bailey was working on an investigative piece at the time of his death. Holmgren said investigators would look into any possible connections with Bailey's work.

"I've spoken with him several times," Holmgren said. "I know him as being a somewhat outspoken type individual, assertive in his journalistic approach when trying to get at matters at hand."

Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums said violent crime on Oakland streets was the city's most pressing problem.

"It is a tragedy when any person loses his or her life by an act of violence," he said "The crime and violence on Oakland streets presents me with the most painful and difficult challenge I've ever faced. We should all be able to move through our lives on the streets of Oakland in peace and safety. We are all diminished by the loss of any one of us."

Police and Crime Stoppers of Oakland are offering up to $10,000 in reward money for information leading to the arrest of the suspect.