At least 15 people were shot at a Juneteenth celebration on Wednesday night in Oakland, California, after illegal stunt-driving “sideshow” led to fights and dozens of rounds fired by multiple shooters, police said at a press conference Thursday afternoon.
The Oakland Police Department said the shooting was a result of fights that broke out during an “illegal sideshow involving vehicles and motorbikes” that took place near Juneteenth celebrations in a public park.
Some 16 people ranging in age from 20 to 30 were transported to local hospitals, including 15 gunshot victims and one who was injured in the assault, Oakland Police Chief Floyd Mitchell said in a press conference Thursday.
Police said the investigation is still ongoing, but they believe there were multiple shooters as they found more than 50 shell casings.
Mitchell said the injuries included minor gunshot wounds and loss of fingers and that some people were still in critical condition as of Thursday afternoon.
No arrests have been made in connection with the shooting, but one person has been arrested for assaulting an officer.
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“This type of behavior and level of violence is unacceptable,” Mitchell said at the Thursday press conference. “The opportunity to exacerbate with your family and friends should never be marred by gunfire.
There were about 5,000 people gathered for events to celebrate the holiday around Lake Merritt on Wednesday night, police said, and approximately 100 police officers were in the area both on regular duty and special assignment. About 30 of the 100 officers were assigned specifically to the “area in and around the lake to provide high visibility during the evening’s events,” Mitchell said. The events at Lake Merritt were not scheduled by the city, according to police. Police received a call about an armed person in another part of Oakland about 30 minutes prior to this shooting, so some officers were diverted and left the Lake Merritt area, police said in Thursday’s press conference. Three years ago in 2021, there was a shooting on Juneteenth at Lake Merritt, as well, in which a 22-year-old man was killed and five people were wounded.
- That’s how many mass shootings—or shootings in which four or more people not including the shooter were killed or injured—have occurred so far in 2024 across the United States, according to the Gun Violence Archive.