Oakland Police report that six people were injured after two gunmen opened fire on an Oakland school campus. City officials say that the shooting occurred at the Rudsdale Newcomer School, which serves students at risk of not graduating and 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, which houses four schools.
Police believe two gunmen began to fire 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. He also noted that investigators believe the incident is gang-related. Armstrong went on to say,” 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.”We also know that there were over 30 rounds fired on this campus. That is wholly unacceptable. We thank God that many more students were not injured as a result of this action,” he added.
Six people, all suffering from gunshot wounds, were transported to local hospitals. Two victims are in critical condition, one is in stable condition, and three were treated for injuries and released. The victims included two students, a counselor, a security guard, and two “workers” at the school.
Police are convinced that the shooters were after one individual but would not give any specific information. Police investigators are trying to determine what triggered the violence. 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 pistol-whipped at the same school and several weeks after a 13-year-old suffered a gunshot wound 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 ten 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.”
