Police in Oakland are scrambling to solve the city’s latest violent crime.
A woman was robbed and shot in broad daylight Tuesday, right in front of a school and the entire attack was caught on camera.
Police are overwhelmed and understaffed and residents are crying out for protection.
The crime happened at about 12 p.m. on the 1900 block of Park Boulevard. The woman was attacked by three men after they went for her purse and she would not let go.
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“She was fighting back really well for herself. Then they took out the gun and shot her so it was something really crazy,” said Amena Homran of 360 Glass & Gift Shop.
The three criminals sprint away from the wounded woman to their getaway cars.
Homran said her husband, Nawaf Ali, sprang into action.
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“He just ran over there and see what was going on he left the store open. He ran there and he called 911,” she said. “He covered over her gunshot wound, making sure she was OK until the ambulance came. She was talking, she was alive. She said she didn’t want to die and she was really scared.”
NBC Bay Area's SkyRanger was overhead minutes later. You see Oakland police officers canvassing the area. The shooting victim is expected to survive.
Melvin Noble lives nearby and said crime is getting worse in this neighborhood.
“It's scary to walk around, I was just trying to go and mail a letter. Kind of scary in the daytime – you expect this to go on at night,” said Noble. “I know the police are doing the best I can, I'm sure they are, but they’re outnumbered."
"Three times in a month our business was broken into and that is just unacceptable," said Homran.
The Oakland Police Department could not agree more. They are understaffed – hundreds of officers short -- and they would like to see these criminals facing federal charges.
“The only way that we're going to break the cycle is if we have consequences for harming our community and then doing something to remove the firearms from the streets,” said deputy chief Roland Holmgren. “It’s a continuing challenge, we’ve been here before."
Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to call 510-238-3426.
