Oakland Tribune Tower restaurant plans to move after shooting

A shooting in a downtown Oakland restaurant has prompted the chef to say he'll move the establishment from the landmark Tribune Tower to a "safer environment."

Oakland Police said they were called to Pierre Pierre restaurant at around 8:30 p.m. Friday after getting multiple reports about a shooting there.

OPD said the victim was shot while inside the restaurant and took themselves to the hospital with two possible gunshot wounds. Police said it was unclear whether that victim was a customer or an employee.

Chef Cleashaun Hill, who founded the restaurant, created a GoFundMe page to address the many costs of this incident. While OPD only mentioned one victim, Hill in his fundraising post said that two people were injured during the shooting, a man and a woman, and that they, "are currently in stable condition, and our hearts and prayers are with them and their families during this difficult time."

Hill said this shooting "shook the foundation of everything we've worked to build."

The restaurant, founded in 2023, was created as "a sanctuary for Black excellence," he said in the fundraising post. "In a city where gentrification, violence, and systemic inequities often silence us, Pierre Pierre stood as a voice -- bold, elegant, unapologetically Black."

Hill said part of the funds he's raising will be used to relocate Pierre Pierre to "a safer environment where [Pierre Pierre's] guests and staff can feel protected and free."

Hill is known as "Chef Cleaz," and on Friday he posted a video to his Instagram account, where he appears to be walking around his downtown restaurant, showing the aftermath of the shooting: blood splattered across the floor, dishes shattered, crime scene tape across a table, and police lights flashing through the window. In the video, Hill was audibly upset and said, "Thank you, Oakland," while showing the damage, then referring to the restaurant as "the only Black-owned fine-dining restaurant that we had."

"Thank you. Thank you. I give up," Hill said.

Customers in the restaurant at the time of the shooting said it was full, according to Oakland Police.

"When gunshots were heard, customers described first hitting the ground and then running for the door, unclear of where the shots were coming from," an Oakland Police spokesperson said.

Another business-owner nearby, who did not want to be identified, recalled seeing patrons running out of Pierre Pierre when the shooting happened.

On Saturday, two bullet holes were visible on the outside of the restaurant.

Pashupati Kandel, owner of Biryani Kabab, located across the street from Pierre Pierre, said he is not surprised that Hill is considering relocating the restaurant.

Kandel, whose business has been in downtown Oakland for nine years, said of the current environment for local businesses, "We are getting [a] very hard time here."

He added that people have committed various crimes in his restaurant as well, and he said he's gotten little response from the city to address these incidents.

"Before, I don’t want to move from here," Kandel said.

"But now I also want to move from here, but now I can’t," he continued, explaining that he can't currently afford to leave the location he is in.

The Oakland police union seized on the incident to call for increased support from incoming Mayor Barbara Lee.

"The Oakland Police Officers Association is doing everything in its power to protect the public, but Oakland is outmanned, outgunned and overwhelmed by criminal activity," union President Huy Nguyen said in a statement. "We need a commitment from the new mayor and council to provide more police officers now to stem the tide of violence and crime and help turn Oakland around."

Hill's fundraiser has a goal of $16,000, which he said would be used to rebuild the restaurant and support the families of those injured by the shooting.

The funds will also help support the restaurant's staff during its closure, he said.