Mass Shooting Injures Six at High School in Oakland, CA

Updated September 30, 2022

• The search for at least two shooters continues in Oakland after what police called a "gang-related incident" took place on the King Estate campus.
• The six victims include two students, a counselor, a security guard, and two other campus employees, Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong said during a Thursday press conference. Two are in critical condition, one is in stable condition, and the others have been released from the hospitals.
• Armstrong said:

"We believe that this is related to ongoing conflicts in our city that have driven violence throughout our city and we'll continue to follow up on leads to identify those responsible."

What’s the story?

• A mass shooter injured six adults at the King Estate of Rudsdale Newcomer High School in East Oakland on Wednesday afternoon. 
• Police are searching for at least one shooter, said Assistant Chief Darren Allison of the Oakland Police Department. Officers conducted a “methodical” search of the school for evidence. Authorities are unsure whether the shooting was a random or targeted incident. 
• Allison declined to say whether the victims were students or teachers but emphasized that all victims had an affiliation with the school.
• The King Estate campus, where the shooting occurred, houses Rudsdale Continuation and Newcomer high schools, Tech Charter School, and the Sojourner Truth Independent Study headquarters. The campus is closed today as the search for the gunman continues. 
• The victims were taken to Highland Hospital in Oakland and Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley. As of Wednesday afternoon, two had life-threatening injuries, two were expected to be released, one had non-life threatening injuries, and one was discharged.
• -John Sasaki, an Oakland Unified school district spokesperson, said in a statement that the district does not have any further information than what the police are reporting. Sasaki, Allison, and Gov. Gavin Newsom condemned the violence. Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf tweeted:

Gun violence in Oakland

• In August, a 13-year-old student was shot and injured after a 12-year-old's gun went off accidentally, making yesterday's event the second Oakland school schooling in the past few weeks. After eight homicides last week, experts believe that Oakland is suffering a wave of violence within an extended gun violence crisis.
• Gun violence was decreasing in Oakland for about eight years after being ranked in the top ten most violent cities in the U.S. for decades. The numbers shot back up during the pandemic, and by 2021 the city had experienced its deadliest year since 2006. 
• The Oakland Police Department announced that more officers will be allocated to combat gun violence around the region. However, community activists say that the best way to combat violence is through meeting the community’s needs, not increased police deployment. 
• In August, a group of violence prevention advocates held a press conference in front of City Hall to draw attention to the spike in gun violence in Oakland. The organizers implored residents to not become desensitized to violent crime in their city and called upon city officials to take more action against gun violence.

This story will continue to be updated.

-Jamie Epstein

(Photo credit: Twitter/@abc7newsbayarea)