There were growing concerns in Oakland Friday with several graduation ceremonies scheduled less than 24 hours after three people were shot and wounded following a graduation ceremony at Skyline High School.
The shooting at Skyline occurred just before 7:45 p.m. Thursday in the parking lot of the school as people were leaving the graduation ceremony, according to Oakland police.
According to the preliminary investigation by police, two groups of people got into a fight in the parking lot, leading to shots being fired.
"About six shots," resident Zati Uysal said. "It was fired in a few seconds."
Officers at the scene found two people who had been hit by gunfire, while a third shooting victim later showed up at a hospital. All three are expected to survive, police said.
Officers detained multiple people in connection with the shooting and placed one of them under arrest but did not release their name. Investigators are looking for additional suspects.
"We do know that there were multiple suspects, but we’re trying to identify exactly how many," Oakland police Lt. Robert Trevino said.
Oakland Unified School District’s superintendent issued a statement regarding the shooting, saying, in part, “what happened after Skyline High School’s graduation on Thursday evening was heartbreaking and absolutely unacceptable…Our hearts are with the victims of this incident, their loved ones, and every graduate and their extended community who attended the ceremony to celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime achievement."
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The district didn’t address questions about a lack of police presence at the Skyline ceremony or whether there would be patrols at Friday's graduation ceremonies across the city. Neither did the police department.
Oakland Unified School District Board of Education Director Jorge Lerma did say they’re taking no chances of another shooting happening at Friday's ceremonies.
"There will be a heightened security check at the gates, identifying students and parents and people entering and leaving the school sites," he said.
Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao released the following statement Friday night:
“Last night, while hundreds of students and families were celebrating the graduation of Skyline High School’s class of 2024, the unthinkable happened: an individual opened fire on campus, and three adults were injured. While no students were injured and the injured individuals are in stable condition, this incident is deeply troubling. Our entire city’s hearts go out to the students, families, friends, and school staff who should have been able to enjoy and celebrate in peace.
I am very grateful for our officers in the Oakland Police Department, our Oakland Fire Department and emergency responders, and law enforcement partners, who were on the scene immediately. Their swift action has led to an arrest. My office is tracking the ongoing investigation and providing any necessary support.
The City of Oakland will continue to support OUSD to reduce the number of violent incidents on their school campuses. This includes hosting the 2nd Annual School Safety Summit taking place next month, where high school safety teams will receive additional training and work on improving their safety plans. We must all work together to prevent school communities from experiencing the impacts of gun violence.”
Bay City News contributed to this report.
