Police now say 14 people shot at Oakland sideshow near Lake Merritt last week
OAKLAND — Further investigation has determined that 14 people were shot last week after fights broke out during a sideshow near Lake Merritt — not 15 as originally reported, police said Tuesday.
Authorities believe there were several shooters, and are considering some persons of interest, but as of Tuesday afternoon no arrests were announced and no one had been formally charged.
In a news release Tuesday, police said that less than a half-hour after the mass shooting, which happened about 8:45 p.m. June 19 in the 400 block of Grand Avenue, officers were dispatched to another shooting in the area of 10th Avenue and East 24th Street.
Two men were wounded in that shooting; one of them was taken by other people to a hospital and was initially counted as the 15th victim in the Grand Avenue shooting, police said.
Two suspects were arrested in connection with the double shooting, according to authorities.
The mass shooting marred what had been a peaceful day that saw some 5,000 people celebrating the federal holiday of Juneteenth around Lake Merritt earlier in the evening. It happened after fights broke out among numerous people watching a sideshow involving some 20 vehicles, including dirt bikes and ATVs, police said. The gun violence was apparently ignited after a man walked across the hood of a vehicle and was severely beaten by the occupants.
A woman was arrested for allegedly punching two police officers rendering first aid to a victim.
Some of the wounded were transported to hospitals from the scene while others showed up on their own at local hospitals. At least one victim was in critical condition after the shooting, but an update on their condition was not available Tuesday. Some of the wounded have since been released from hospitals, authorities said.
The Grand Avenue shooting may be the largest mass shooting in the city’s history. In February 1992, two people were killed and eight wounded in a shooting at a North Oakland bar.
In June 2021 one person was killed and seven were wounded in a shooting that happened during a Juneteenth event on Lakeshore Avenue. No one has been charged in that shooting.
The Grand Avenue shooting remains an ongoing investigation. Anyone with information may contact police at 510-238-3821 or 510-238-7950. Anyone with video or photos that could assist in the investigation is asked to send them to cidvideos@oaklandca.gov.