Two gunmen opened fire on an Oakland school campus on Wednesday. Oakland Police report that six people were injured minutes before the students were to be discharged for the day. The school campus was put on lockdown.
City officials said the shooting occurred at the Rudsdale Newcomer School, which is a charter school serving students at risk of not graduating, as well as students who have recently immigrated to the United States after fleeing their native countries. The school serves middle and high school-age students and is part of the King Estate Campus. The campus houses four schools.
The gunmen began their rampage on the school campus around noon on Wednesday. According to Oakland Chief of Police LeRonne Armstrong, “We know that there were at least two shooters and another accomplice related to this case, but there may have been more.”
The Oakland police chief also noted that the incident was probably gang-related. Armstrong continued, “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.” He said that there were more than 30 rounds of gunfire.
Police said it was like a mafia-style hit.
The six injured victims were transported to local hospitals. Three were treated for injuries and released. The other three were in serious condition. The injured included two students, a counselor, a security guard, and two other staff members of the school.
Police believe that the perpetrators were targeting one individual but would not give any other information on the motive. The shooters are still at large and should be considered armed and dangerous.
The shooting comes about a month after a student was stabbed and assaulted at the same school, and several weeks after a 13-year-old was shot at Madison Park Academy, a middle school not far from the King Estate Campus.
City officials report that there have been nine homicides in the city of Oakland over the past 10 days. Chief of Police Armstrong attributes the recent problems to “People in our community who have become unable to solve conflict without using firearms. And that’s sad because it’s leaving so much trauma in our communities.”
The Oakland Police Department OPD tweeted that it is “focused on getting illegal firearms off the streets of Oakland to help keep our community safe. This year, officers have recovered more than 1150+ firearms.”
