25-year-old woman killed in Oakland while taking class: family

OAKLAND, Calif. - A 25-year-old woman was shot and killed Friday morning in Oakland at the Parker Community Resource Center while taking an adult education carpentry class, family members told KTVU. A second person was wounded.

Family members have identified the victim who was killed as Kimarii McLemore. 

An aunt told KTVU that her niece had been trying to turn around her life, which had included some challenges.  Her niece had said she felt scared in this class because of a dispute involving a man, the aunt said. 

Scared in class

What we don't know:

It was not immediately clear if this man had anything to do with the shooting. 

Brittia Johnson, the victim's aunt, is mourning her niece's death. 

"Her mom gave me a call and said they killed my baby, so I'm assuming she was shot, and before I got here, she was deceased," said Johnson. "I don't know who pulled the trigger, but I know she felt unsafe with the person in the class with her." 

The victim's mother stayed at the school until the Alameda County Coroner arrived. 

Family and loved ones of the victim wonder if McLemore's killing was linked to tensions between the victim and a young man when the class first began about a month ago. 

"When she started, it was, somebody in there that she didn't get along with…she said they had conversed and they had squashed it," said Johnson. "Our people killing our people. Once you take a life, the whole family is traumatized." 

The victim's brother, Tyriq Long was at the scene hugging others for comfort. 

"People had a lot of reverence for her. Usually, when she was around it was a good time. So, yeah, that's how I want her to be remembered," said Long. 

"Whatever you're fighting over, arguing over, can be replaced. A life cannot be replaced," said Johnson. 

‘Heartbreaking and tragic' 

Why you should care:

Oakland Police Chief James Beere called what happened at about 9:15 a.m. at 7929 Ney Avenue, which used to be Parker Elementary School, "heartbreaking and tragic" for the family.

Beere said a second victim was injured in the shooting.

He said that the shooting was "not a random act," but he declined to discuss a motive or arrests.

He did say that the department had many "good leads" and that he was "confident we'll get to the bottom of this" and that police were using technology in this investigation. 

Police cars were stationed outside and officers had set up a perimeter around the building. 

Someone at the scene said they heard up to one minute's worth of gunfire. 

OUSD statement

What they're saying:

The resource center is within the Oakland Unified School District. 

The district released the following statement:

"The Parker Community Resource Center and OUSD are devastated by the incident that happened on Friday morning. Our schools are oases where students feel safe and supported, and that goes for our students in adult education, as well. Immediately after the incident, the campus was locked down, and everyone else was secured safely inside classrooms and our front office. This kind of tragedy should never happen anywhere, especially not on a school campus. We are working to give the students and staff who were on the campus at the time the support they need, and that will continue in the coming days."

A district spokesperson spoke out about the campus shooting later in the day. 

"We locked everything down, made sure that everyone else was safely in classrooms or in the office," said OUSD spokesman John Sasaki. "I will say to anybody who considers doing this, keep your weapons at home, resolve your differences peacefully. Never resort to this. This should never happen anywhere, certainly not at our schools." 

OaklandCrime and Public Safety