Police are looking for a suspect after Six people were injured in a school shooting Wednesday in Oakland’s Eastmont Hills. Cheryl Hurd reports.
Six people were injured in a school shooting Wednesday in Oakland's Eastmont Hills, police said.
Oakland police officials said the shooting took place at the King Estate campus on Fontaine Street, which houses multiple schools. Officers are looking for at least one shooter, but add other suspects might be involved.
The Oakland Unified School District announced Wednesday night that the King Estate Campus will be closed Thursday.
"Today's gun violence at Sojourner Truth school shocks the soul," Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said in a tweet. "Our schools are sanctuaries for our children."
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The school has since been cleared by police.
Highland Hospital in Oakland confirms it is treating three of the victims, who all are in critical condition with gunshot wounds. The other three victims were transported to Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, according to the hospital.
Police in a late afternoon briefing said all victims are adults affiliated with the school and provided the following updates on their conditions:
- two are suffering from life-threatening injuries
- one victim has been released from the hospital
- two victims are pending release from the hospital
- one victim has injuries that are non-life threatening
One of the victims' family members spoke to NBC Bay Area Wednesday night. They said the victim was a student, who was shot several times and is currently fighting for his life at the hospital.
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Aerial coverage from NBC Bay Area's SkyRanger showed students being evacuated from the campus and a heavy police presence, with some officers canvassing the complex.
"I just hear the shooting and I saw this lady getting out from the car and she was running inside the school and I was thinking the worst," witness Alejandra said in an interview with NBC Bay Area.
The Oakland Unified School District provided the following statement Wednesday afternoon:
"There was an incident today at the King Estate campus on Fontaine Street, which houses the co-located Rudsdale Continuation and Newcomer high schools, BayTech Charter School, and the headquarters of Sojourner Truth Independent Study, which has no students at the site. The campus is near Oakland Academy of Knowledge (OAK), but it is important to note the incident was NOT at OAK, nor did it have anything to do with that elementary school. We currently do not have any information beyond what Oakland Police are reporting."
California Gov. Gavin Newsom called the shooting "a horrifying act of violence that has grown too familiar." The governor in a tweet added "This cannot continue — gun violence has taken too much from our communities."
Parents were asked to meet their children at the church on Mountain and Fontaine for reunification.
The California Highway Patrol also shut down both eastbound and westbound Keller Avenue off-ramps in Oakland while police responded to the scene.
NBC Bay Area's Elizabeth Campos, Brendan Weber, Cheryl Hurd, Christie Smith, Pete Suratos, Diana San Juan and Stephanie Guzman contributed to this report.
