Oakland mass shooting: Teacher and musician Latetia Bobo killed
Schoolteacher who was gifted singer mourned after nightclub shooting
A parent and producer shared remembrances of Latetia Bobo, 33, one of two people killed when gunfire broke out at a downtown Oakland nightclub.
OAKLAND, Calif. - The killing of a treasured teacher and musician in a mass shooting at an Oakland nightclub over the weekend has left her loved ones reeling.
Latetia Bobo, 33, was killed Saturday in a shooting at EZ’s Lounge near 14th and Franklin streets. Markise Martin, 24, was also killed in the gunfire.
‘Not coping well at all’
What they're saying:
Sofala Mayfield, a music producer and songwriter who worked with Bobo, said he is struggling to process her death.
"Not coping well at all," Mayfield said Tuesday. "Amazing person. The last person that something like this should happen to."
He said he is also angry.
"How did those guns get in there?" Mayfield asked. "How was that place open at four in the morning?"
KTVU has learned from sources that investigators believe Martin and another man got into an argument inside the nightclub and opened fire on each other.
Surveillance video posted on social media shows Martin on the ground. Sources said that before he died, Martin fired an AR-15-style rifle into the crowd, fatally striking Bobo and wounding five others.
Video captures deadly mass shooting at Oakland’s EZ’s Lounge
Video posted to social media captured the moment gunfire erupted inside a downtown Oakland nightclub early Saturday, leaving two people dead and five others wounded.
Police have not publicly confirmed those details and have not announced any arrests.
The Alameda County District Attorney’s Office will explore whether the surviving gunman could face criminal charges in Bobo’s death.
Slain teacher was also singer
Dig deeper:
Bobo was also an R&B singer.
"She was determined, she was stubborn, she was purposeful, she was everything I want my kid to grow up to be," Mayfield said.
She was also an eighth-grade English language arts teacher at Caliber Beta Academy in San Pablo. Students returned to campus Tuesday for the first time since her death.
Robin DeGracia, whose two children were taught by Bobo, described her as transformative.
"She was a force to be reckoned with," DeGracia said. "Ms. Bobo was an amazing teacher who met the students where they needed to be."
DeGracia said she is in shock at what happened to Bobo, losing a beloved teacher so violently.
"I’m at the angry stage of grief," she said. "Now not only does my daughter have to deal with the loss of a teacher, but she has to deal with understanding that gun violence is random."
Mayfield echoed that sentiment.
"She was a light and it was taken from us," he said. "We gotta do better."
Nightclub lacked permits
Oakland city officials said Tuesday that the nightclub had an operational permit but did not have a valid state liquor license or city entertainment permit.
Officials said the city was building a public nuisance case against the establishment at the time of the shooting.
Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on X @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan
The Source: KTVU reporting