A Juneteenth celebration turned violent in Oakland on Wednesday night when multiple people were shot after the event at Lake Merritt. Prompted by reports of the gunfire, the Oakland Police Department arrived at the location, which was packed with a heavy police presence. Reports say that no fatalities have been recorded thus far.
🚨#UPDATE [1]: Officials are now reporting that Eight people have been hospitalized with four being shot, and another was hit by a car after a shooting took place during a Juneteenth celebration. The exact number of people who have been stabbed is not yet known as the situation is… pic.twitter.com/L6CQfS09WO [2]
— R A W S A L E R T S (@rawsalerts) June 20, 2024 [3]
According to Paul Chambers with the Oakland Police Department, the Juneteenth celebrations, which started earlier in the day, were leisurely and peaceful – but as the night wore on, things took a rather unexpected turn. He added that it all happened at around 8:15 p.m. when a sideshow broke out at Bellevue Avenue and Grand Avenue, involving multiple cars and motorbikes.
#BREAKING [4]: Massive police presence at Lake Merritt following reports of multiple shot. @KTVU [5] #Oakland [6] pic.twitter.com/5WpuJeZFE4 [7]
— Jaden Schaul (@jadenschaul) June 20, 2024 [8]
A fight broke out down the street from where the sideshow was taking place, leading to some people hearing multiple shots. Paul Chambers said that OPD officers on duty had to jump into action to try to get people out of harm’s way, but unfortunately, multiple officers were pushed and struck in the face.
The situation quickly deteriorated as people began running for their lives. One person was caught assaulting an officer and was subsequently taken into custody for the assault. It’s still unclear how many people ended up being shot and injured during the incident.