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71-year-old man shot and killed while driving in Oakland

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Published  March 28, 2022 5:38pm PDT
Crime and Public Safety
KTVU FOX 2

71-year-old man shot in head while driving in Oakland

KTVU's Henry Lee reports.

OAKLAND, Calif. - The shooting death of a 71-year-old man in Oakland's Fruitvale neighborhood is yet another shocking incident of gun violence in the city, Councilmember Noel Gallo said Monday.

"Sad tragedy once more here in East Oakland," said Gallo, standing on a median near 33rd Avenue and MacArthur where the victim was found dead less than 24 hours earlier.

The victim was driving his pickup truck east on International Boulevard when he was shot near 28th Avenue at about 6:20 p.m. Sunday.

He was "shot through the windshield, it hit him in the head," said Gallo, who represents the Fruitvale neighborhood.

After being shot, the man continued driving for about a half a mile along International Boulevard in his truck and ended up crashing into cars nears 33rd Avenue.

Video from Citizen App shows Oakland police surrounding the victim's pickup and a Toyota Scion. Officers and first responders tried to save him, but he died at the scene.

"We're at a time when the age doesn't matter," Gallo said.

The victim, clearly much older than the average casualty to gun violence on the streets in Oakland. Gallo says the criminal element doesn't seem to differentiate.

Oakland police called out to traffic collision; find man shot dead in car

Oakland police were called out to a multi-vehicle traffic collision on Sunday evening in the Fruitvale district and discovered that a man had been shot dead.

"You know, I see youngsters, I see old people. We're supposed to respect and honor our seniors, but they're paying a heavy price at this time," Gallo said.

KTVU caught up with an Oakland police services technician, who was scouring the area for surveillance footage.

RELATED: Family plans to bury 16-year-old Oakland Castlemont High student shot in head

A motive for the killing isn't known.

A man who owns a restaurant near 28th and International said people in the area had heard gunshots.

"To be that age, I don't think he was involved in a road rage," the restaurateur said. He wondered if the victim was "maybe mistaken for somebody else, maybe he was wrong spot, wrong place, wrong time, wrong place, I don't know."