Minutes before students were dismissed from school, shots rang out at the King Estate campus in Oakland, resulting in six injured adults.
The victims were transported to the hospital for treatment, with two carrying life-threatening injuries and one facing non-life-threatening injuries. All individuals were at or over the age of 18 and had some affiliation with the school.
Around 12:45 p.m. on Wednesday, the Oakland Police Department (OPD) Communications Division received multiple calls of a shooting on the 8200 block of Fontaine Street, an area home to four schools, including Sojourner Truth Independent Study, Bay Area Technology School, Rudsdale Continuation High School, and Rudsdale Newcomer High School.
“Anytime there is a shooting in our community, it’s a complete tragedy,” said Darren Allison, OPD’s Assistant Chief, in a live news conference. “As a parent, I completely understand the fear, the emotion, and the panic when shootings occur at our schools with the children.”
Upon arrival, OPD officers, Alameda County sheriff’s deputies, and California Highway Patrol found six people suffering from gunshot wounds and immediately entered the school. One group immediately began escorting students and staff to safety while another set of police officers searched the area for at least one shooter and possibly more.
Parents were asked to reunite with their children at a nearby church, where chaplains were stationed to help with the trauma associated with such an event.
“Today’s gun violence at Sojourner Truth school shocks the soul — our schools are sanctuaries for our children. The school is now clear, and all children are being reunited with families,” tweeted Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf in response to the shooting. “The unbridled access to firearms in our country is inexcusable.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom also addressed the shooting in a tweet.
“The shooting was a horrifying act of violence that has grown too familiar. Yet again, our kids were in the crossfire,” Newsom tweeted. “This cannot continue — gun violence has taken too much from our communities.”
The OPD is still investigating the incident and asked anyone with information to contact the OPD Homicide Section at 510-238-3821 or the tip line at 510-238-7950.
This is a breaking news story. The article will be updated with more information.
