OAKLAND – A man, woman and girl were shot on Sunday on the campus of a high school in the city, officials said.
Just before 1:20 pm, police responded to reports of a possible shooting at Oakland Technical High School, located at 4351 Broadway.
When officers arrived, they were directed to the football field near the 42nd Street side of the campus, where several hundred people were attending one of several youth football games scheduled between the Oakland Dynamites and the Valley Boyz, based in Fresno.
Soon after, officers found a 30-year-old man with two gunshot wounds to his feet and lower torso. Firefighters and paramedics also responded to the scene, providing care before transporting the man to a hospital. He was later listed in stable condition.
Police later learned that a family in the game had taken their 6-year-old daughter to a nearby house. An ambulance then took her to another hospital. She was also listed in stable condition.
At around 3 pm, a 52-year-old woman with a gunshot wound to her leg entered a third hospital, officials said. She was later listed in stable condition.
In a statement posted on the Oakland Dynamites social media page, a team representative thanked parents and community members for their support, urging them to call city officials to have police attend games and home practices: “As OD employees, we try to create a fun festive environment for our kids to play football and cheer. We can’t control these idiots, but we can improve and try to take better security measures on the field. Unfortunately, this was street meat that spread across the football field. I don’t have all the details yet, but I’m sure they will come out!”
Alluding in part to last year’s fatal shooting by father and youth mentor Reuben Lewis at a team practice at East Oakland’s Concordia Park, the rep said in part that “(and) even (although) this is not our first incident involving a gun, This isn’t a dynamite problem, it’s an Oakland problem! And we do not condone any senseless violence that has taken place today. We will also cooperate with the police and city authorities to ensure that all parties involved are arrested!”
At a Monday press conference, Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong said the shooting apparently involved several suspects using several different weapons among a crowd of up to 500 people. Armstrong then reminisced about the events of the past year.
“It doesn’t make sense that kids are here playing football, and family and friends are watching these games, and people come armed with guns, not just one. Several people had firearms in this crowd,” Armstrong said.
“Youth football games are often attended by friends and family. They often come to enjoy their children participating in recreational activities. It’s not an NFL game. It’s not a college game. It’s a children’s football game. Just little kids learning to be active and play together. And adults choose to bring guns into that environment!”
Armstrong added that the folks who volunteered to work extra shifts to help with team safety last year were already stepping up: Dynamites practice and games. I contacted them and they are willing to do so again. (…) Our plan is to stay as long as they need us. But you know, the community in this case can step up as well. We’d like to see community members come out, people in our community who say, ‘I’m willing to volunteer to help make this place safe.’
Board member Dan Kalb, who joined Armstrong on a podium, called for an increase in the use of metal detectors and screening in addition to the wand devices used in Sunday’s game.
“You know, if you go to the (Oakland) Coliseum, you’re going through a metal detector, I don’t care who you are. You’re going through a metal detector before entering or in-game, indoors or outdoors, right? … Whatever they had, it didn’t work,” Kalb said. “So we need to improve this game and review the procedures they have to detect these types of metal weapons and prevent this from happening again. This is absolutely critical.”
Investigators have not shared any information about a possible suspect or description of the associated vehicle. As of Monday afternoon, no arrests had been made.
For information leading to the arrest of a suspect, police are offering up to $15,000. Anyone with information can contact the police at 510-238-3426 or Crime Stoppers of Oakland at 510-777-8572.
Staff writer Harry Harris contributed to this report. Contact George Kelly at 408-859-5180.
