Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf on Thursday called on the “obstructionists in Congress” to take action to stop the flow of guns into Oakland after a school shooting wounded six people Wednesday.
“I want to acknowledge that Oakland, California, has long struggled with gun violence and has made incredible progress,” Schaaf said in a press conference Thursday. “And yet we will never be able to address this alone, or in isolation, without federal leadership.”
The shooting is the latest in a series of devastating violent incidents in Oakland, with nine people killed in as many days and more injured. Four of those deaths occurred in a 24-hour period between Sept. 19 and 20. The spate of homicides has prompted city leadership to announce a ramping up of police presence in Oakland, and to renew calls for federal gun-control reform.
Wednesday also marks the second school shooting in Oakland in as many months. In the previous incident at Madison Park Academy, one middle school student reportedly accidentally shot another.
Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong said officers suspect the shooting on Wednesday specifically targeted at least one person — and possibly multiple people — at the school. He said footage at the King Estates campus, which contains three schools, showed at least two shooters and an accomplice, but there could have been more.
“We do believe that this incident is group- and gang-related,” Armstrong said. “We believe that this is related to ongoing conflicts in our city that has driven violence.”
Armstrong said that in the footage, two shooters can be seen entering Rudsdale High School and that, soon after, they appear to identify a target and begin shooting.
In the end, six adults, including two students, were wounded but survived, although two remain in critical condition. Officers determined that over 30 rounds were fired on the campus.
