Shooting In Oakland in Broad Daylight Injures Six, Kills One

One person was killed and six others injured following a shooting during a vigil in downtown Oakland late Tuesday afternoon, police said.

In a statement Tuesday evening, police said all the victims, described as young men and women from the mid-teens to early 20s, were taken from the scene to area hospitals, where they were initially listed in stable condition.

One victim, a 16-year-old girl, was listed in grave condition and died later at the hospital, police said. Three other people suffered gunshot wounds, and three others received other unspecified injuries, according to a police statement.

Police and emergency crews responded to the 1300 block of Franklin Street just after 5:41 p.m., Officer Kyle Hazen said. There they found one of the shooting victims, and a second victim who may have been involved in the incident was found near Fourth and Clay streets minutes later, Hazen said.

It was not immediately known where the other wounded people were found or what precipitated the incident, but shell casings were discovered at the scene and a vehicle was seeing fleeing eastbound on 13th Street afterward, Hazen said.

It was not immediately known where the other wounded people were found or what precipitated the incident, but shell casings were discovered at the scene and a vehicle was seeing fleeing eastbound on 13th Street afterward, Hazen said.

Officers were told that the wounded had been attending a vigil in the area of 14th Street and Broadway that was connected with a recent drowning incident, police said

The shooting happened near a large family gathering at an entertainment facility, Venue, on 14th Street. Dozens of people inside and outside the facility were there after attending a funeral for two Oakland teens who drowned in a Stanislaus County reservoir over Memorial Day weekend.

At least some of the victims were connected to the memorial event. One witness was walking down 14th Street about a block away when he heard multiple gunshots fired in rapid succession at 5:41 p.m.

"And then basically there were people running every which way," said Mason Stone, 39. The Oakland resident ducked behind a car until the shots stopped.

People started running toward the corner where it appeared someone was hit, he said. He immediately left the area.

"The really scary thing, coming on the heels of the shooting in Orlando, you wonder is it gang related or is it a crazy gunman," he said. "I guess you figure sooner or later if you live in a city like that you ... realize anything can happen at any time."

Another witness, who didn't want to be identified for safety reasons, said he watched the shooting unfold after an argument among a group of men playing a dice game along the street and said the vigil participants were caught in the crossfire.

A security guard at Venue, Oscar Edwards, said he was inside when the shooting occurred and shocked at the timing and location.

"This is very strange," he said. "Downtown Oakland has changed a lot. Downtown is one of the safest places now. This was an isolated incident."

Streets around the shooting scene were blocked to traffic into the evening as police investigated the incident.