Chief: Oakland Police Shoot 16-Year-Old in Face

Following a preliminary investigation, OPD determined that the subject who was shot and his two companions were not responsible for the reported robbery and were not involved in any way

Oakland police shot a 16-year-old boy in the face on Wednesday night while conducting an investigation into an armed robbery report.

Police Chief Howard Jordan said at a Thursday news conference that the teen was not part of the original investigation. The boy's jaw and cheek were grazed, Jordan said, and he has already been treated and released from the hospital.

A cook from the popular Le Cheval Vietnamese restaurant was walking to a city parking lot nearby, and three young men stole her purse just before 10 p.m. in the 1000 block of Clay Street. Police said they heard the robbery was at knife point. The restaurant manager told NBC Bay Area that the employee never mentioned a weapon.

The cook fell, and blacked out, and that incident was reported to police. The cook never went to the hospital and was OK on Thursday.

After the cook reported her incident, another report came in shortly afterward, Jordan said, where the caller reported seeing three suspects who may have been involved in the purse attack. That witness pointed police in the direction of this trio.

An officer arrived to Jefferson Street and saw three men who he believed fit the general description.

"He perceived a threat," Jordan said of the officer. Jordan said his agency is now investigating what prompted the officer to feel such a threat and why he would have pulled a trigger on the teen.

Jordan added that the three people the officer encountered had nothing to do with the original purse attack. Those suspects are still outstanding.

During a press conference, Police Chief Howard A. Jordan provided the following timeline of events.

  1. OPD Communications received a call at 9:55 PM regarding a person who was robbed at knifepoint by three suspects, described as male blacks, 22 – 26 years old, riding bicycles. One suspect was described as wearing a black, hooded sweatshirt. The call was placed from a restaurant in the area of 10th Street and Clay Street.
  2. At 10:01 PM, OPD Communications received a second call stating that a restaurant in the area of 10th Street and Clay Street had been robbed. The caller was disconnected.
  3. At 10:02 PM, OPD Communications contacted the caller, who reported that the suspects could be seen walking on Clay Street near 8th Street. The caller, who was following the suspects, described them as three male black teens, one wearing a striped hooded sweatshirt and the other two in dark clothing.
  4. At 10:04 PM, the caller reported that the group of males were attempting to assault or rob a citizen. The caller kept the suspects in sight during the call.
  5. At 10:07 PM, the caller reported that another citizen was being assaulted. The first OPD unit arrived on-scene and the caller directed the officer to the suspects.
  6. At 10:08 PM, dispatch records indicate that the officer observed the three suspects running. Additional OPD units were now on-scene or in the area.
  7. At 10:09 PM, an officer reported a shot being fired within the 1000 block of Jefferson Street.
  8. All three suspects were detained, one of them having received a wound to the jaw. An ambulance was immediately requested. The injury was described as a graze to the lower right jaw and non-life threatening.

The Oakland Police Department’s Major Crimes Unit and Internal Affairs Division have begun independent investigations into this case. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Oakland Police Department Major Crimes Section at (510) 238-3821.

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