Oakland hit by series of shootings that left 2 dead
Series of shootings within 2 hours in downtown Oakland
Two people were killed, and several others injured early Saturday morning as Oakland Police responded to five shootings within just a few hours in the downtown area.
OAKLAND, Calif. - Bullet holes riddled the side of an Oakland senior shelter on Monday.
Joseph Ardds, supervisor of Soul Sanctuary Senior Shelter, which sits on Martin Luther King Jr. Way, pointed to where the building was damaged.
One window was shattered in the shooting around 3:15 a.m. on Saturday.
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OPD said the shootings that killed two people and wounded at least four suggested there was no connection between the outbreak of violence and the free festival that had ended hours earlier.
"They just opened fire," he said. "Me and another staff member were stuck outside."
Surveillance video shows him and other staff running for cover. Ardds said someone fired shots from a car as it drove by.
"I had eight old people out here," Ardds said. "These are people's grandparents trying to get their life together. They don't deserve this."
Ardds said one passerby was injured across the street.
About a half-hour later, two other people told police they were shot and injured in that same area.
Those were two of five shootings on Saturday morning between 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. in downtown Oakland within a few blocks.
Around 2:15 a.m. Saturday, one person was shot on Broadway near 19th Street and taken to the hospital in critical condition.
Around 3 a.m. Saturday, a fatal shooting was reported on San Pablo Avenue near 17th Street.
Another fatal shooting was reported on 18th Street near Telegraph Avenue.
"We're saddened anytime there's bloodshed on the city streets of Oakland. Our hearts go out to the victims, their families, and the people who had to witness it. It is traumatic," Venessa McGhee of Oakland said.
McGhee is the First Fridays Festival director and said the shootings had nothing to do with the festival, which ended at 9 p.m. Friday without any violence. The shootings were more than five blocks away in the downtown area, and Oakland police say there is no evidence of any connection.
"We don't have control over what takes place in the Uptown Downtown area or any other areas of Oakland," McGhee said.
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The driver of the car and one passenger were airlifted to a nearby hospital and are being treated for major injuries, according to the CHP.
"If something happens on Broadway at 12, 1, 2, 3 in the morning, it has nothing to do with Oakland First Fridays," James Copes, a vendor and owner of Old School Copes, said.
The Oakland Police Officers Association union president, Huy Nguyen, said one problem is that the eight Oakland police officers and one sergeant who patrol First Fridays do not stay on afterward to continue patrolling the downtown area.
Nguyen said another problem is that the downtown entertainment district patrols that used to be highly visible and able to proactively de-escalate problems were eliminated in August 2024.
"Officers visited bars and nightclubs to make sure there is a presence of law enforcement in the downtown area. That has since been eliminated, so with this past weekend's events, we had this shooting and multiple open beats, both swing shift hours and night shift hours," Nguyen said.
Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said in a statement Sunday, "While we've seen a 30 percent decline in overall crime, every shooting and homicide is one too many, and we must continue our comprehensive public safety efforts so everyone is safe and feels safe. I've been in touch with OPD, which has not concluded these shootings were connected to First Friday celebrations. I will stay in contact with OPD as the investigation continues."
Oakland police said the investigations into the weekend shootings are active and ongoing.