UPDATE: Oakland Police Chief Hopeful Violence Starting to Trend Down in City
OAKLAND (BCN) -- Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong is hopeful that violence in Oakland is trending down, he said at a news conference Monday afternoon.
Armstrong addressed violence over the weekend, which included an officer-involved shooting, a homicide, and a shooting outside UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland.
Even during rain and the holiday season, people are still willing to commit crimes, Armstrong said. Still, he has reason to hope.
"I believe that we are trending in the right direction," Armstrong said. "I'm optimistic about us finishing this year. But I'm also optimistic as we move into 2020 with a greater focus and hopefully a great reduction in violent crime, particularly homicides."
Following a killing Friday, 134 people have died in violence in Oakland this year, the greatest number in the last 10 years or more.
But officers have been taking guns off the street, proactively looking at those carrying guns and making key arrests, Armstrong said.
The officer-involved shooting unfolded Christmas Eve when someone called police and said a person brandished a gun at them and they were afraid.
Officers responded to the 500 block of 98th Avenue and an officer spoke with person who called, the chief said. When the officer entered the building, the suspect assaulted the officer and brandished a gun at the officer, who opened fire.
The officer fired three shots at about 4:30 p.m. The suspect, who wasn't injured, was not named by police.
Armstrong also addressed the crime and violence in and around the 1400 block of Lakeshore Avenue, where a man was shot and killed early Friday night.
Crime is down 60 percent in that area in the last 45 days or so, Armstrong said. Police have been more visible in that area, Capt. James Beere said, while trying to respect people's desire to recreate in that area.
Unfortunately, police resources were tied up with the officer-involved shooting when the fatal shooting occurred. Officers located the victim at about 8:15 p.m.
Beere said sometimes people who loiter in that area get into arguments with people interested in committing a crime. That can lead to shootings. At least two fatal shootings have occurred in that area recently. Before Friday's, a woman was shot Nov. 11 and died two days later, police said.
Three other shootings occurred over the weekend, Armstrong said. The most concerning one was an injury shooting in front of UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland.
A vehicle was parked in front of the hospital when someone in another vehicle drove up and fired multiple rounds into the parked vehicle. One person was treated for gunshot wounds, Armstrong said.
Another injury shooting occurred near Fruitvale and E. 18th avenues. Thirty rounds were fired in that shooting, Armstrong said.
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