A manhunt continued Thursday for the gunmen who opened fire at an Oakland school complex, injuring six people, including two students.
The shooting at the King Estates campus along Fontaine Street in East Oakland occurred around noon Wednesday, sending students and staff from three schools fleeing classrooms and prompting a massive police response.
The six victims, all adults, were taken to local hospitals with gunshot wounds. As of late Thursday morning, three remained in the hospital – two in serious condition and one in stable condition, Oakland police Chief LeRonne Armstrong said. The three other victims have been released from the hospital.
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All six people have connections to the school campus, according to Armstrong. Two are students, one is a counselor, another is a security guard and two work on the campus.
Armstrong said there were at least two shooters and another accomplice, adding that there may have been more people involved. Over 30 rounds were fired from what police believe were handguns with extended magazines.
"That is wholly unacceptable," Armstrong said. "We thank God that many more students were not injured as a result of this action."
The shooting is believed to be "group and gang related," Armstrong said. It does not appear to be random, but the victims were not the target.
"We believe that this is related to ongoing conflicts in our city," Armstrong said. "We'll continue to follow up on leads to identify those responsible."
One of the victims' family members spoke with NBC Bay Area Wednesday night and said their loved one was a student who was shot several times and is currently fighting for his life.
Rudsdale High School, Bay Tech Charter School and Sojourner Truth Independent Study remained closed Thursday, and it was unknown when the schools would reopen. Counselors would be available on campus when the schools resume classes, district officials said.
The shooting happened just as students were about to be released for the day. Students heard gunfire and described chaos when a voice on the PA system announced a lockdown. Some dove under desks, and others tried to barricade doors.
A parent told NBC Bay Area tensions have been building at the campus for months, saying a student was stabbed and pistol whipped on campus a month ago.
Police said they were called to the campus in August and arrested a suspect involved in a stabbing and gun incident at the school. NBC Bay Area asked both the police department and the Oakland Unified School District for additional information on that incident and any possible link to Wednesday's shooting, but they did not immediately respond.
School district officials said they are reviewing their security at the campus and others but are not giving details on what measures are already in place.
"We as a school district call on anybody, anybody at all, that thinks that this kind of action is the way to resolve any kind of problem that you have, you are wrong," district spokesperson John Sasaki said. "We want it to stop."
Mayor Libby Schaaf said that while Oakland has long struggled with gun violence, she believes any progress the city makes won't be enough without federal changes.
"We cannot solve this epidemic of gun violence without federal action," she said. "Once again, like so many other mayors in America, I call on the obstructionists in Congress to take real action against this unbridled psychosis of violence in our country."
