Oakland Lake Merritt Juneteenth Festivities Marred by Deadly Mass Shooting
OAKLAND (KPIX) -- Oakland police say roughly 5,000 people were hanging out on Lakeshore Avenue when gunfire erupted Sa,turday evening. The mass shooting at Lake Merritt injured six people and killed a 22-year-old San Francisco man.
BREAKING NEWS: 3 Dead, 5 Wounded In Richmond Father's Day Gathering Mass Shooting
"All I saw was the gunshot. It was like 'pop! pop! pop!'" said a witness who feared retaliation and declined to provide his name. "After they shot the people, the bullets hit the ground five feet away from me. I was like, 'oh my f**ing God,' excuse my language."
Police arrested two men and recovered two guns. No motive has been determined and it is unclear if they were shooting at each other or shooting at another group.
RELATED ARTICLE: 1 Dead, 6 Wounded in Saturday Evening Shooting at Oakland's Lake Merritt
"We're looking to see if this is connected to any gangs, groups, specific targets. We don't have those answers right now," said Oakland police spokesperson Johnna Watson.
The sounds of gunfire caused panic and hundreds of people to run away.
Police said the six victims, ranging in age from 16 to 27, are in stable condition. They have not released the name of the man who died.
Oakland police say the mass shooting was not connected to the official Juneteenth event being held about half mile away from the shooting scene.
Many people at the crime scene said that, even though there wasn't an official event in the 2200 block of Lakeshore Avenue, thousands of people went there to party and celebrate Juneteenth before the shooting occurred.