Oakland Police report that six people were injured after two gunmen opened fire on an Oakland school campus on Wednesday, minutes before the students were to be discharged for the day, putting the campus on lockdown.
City officials said the shooting occurred at the Rudsdale Newcomer School, a charter 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.
Two gunmen began their rampage 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.”
The Oakland police chief also noted that investigators believe the incident is gang-related. Armstrong continued, “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.” He said that there were more than 30 rounds of gunfire.
Six people, all suffering from gunshot wounds, were transported to local hospitals. Two victims were reported to be in critical condition as of Thursday, one was in stable condition, and three were treated for injuries and released. The victims included two students, a counselor, a security guard, and two other staff at the school.
Police are convinced that the shooters were after one individual but would not give any other information on the motive. 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 assaulted at the same school, and several weeks after a 13-year-old was shot 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 10 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.”