1 dead in shooting at Oakland school reunion party
OAKLAND – A large high school reunion celebration in West Oakland turned deadly on Saturday evening as it was wrapping up.
The gathering attracted hundreds of people to DeFremery Park on Adeline Street.
Authorities said the man killed was a McClymonds High School alumnus who was attending the alumni reunion picnic. CBS News Bay Area also learned the victim's twin brother was shot and killed in Oakland years ago.
Oakland police said the Saturday evening shooting happened just after 7:30 p.m. Once the gunfire broke out, witnesses said people left behind tents, chairs, basketballs and other picnic items as they ran for safety.
"You could just see the look on other people's faces. The people were grabbing things and grabbing their children and moving and running," said neighbor Cynthia Thompson who attended the event and heard the gunshots.
"It must have been about 20 shots and it was dark. People were running and screaming but, at the same time, the police showed up real fast," said Harvey Yarbrough, who lives across the street from DeFremery Park.
Yarbrough said it was chaotic. There were roughly 200 people at the park when the shooting happened. Witnesses said the annual McClymonds alumni reunion picnic had already wrapped up but some families were still hanging out in the park.
"We felt cheated in regards to this should not have happened here, especially at a nice event that was taking place," said Yarbrough.
The police department and Oakland Mayor Sheng Thao said they were outraged by the shooting at a rare Sunday press conference. They were still working to determine a motive for the shooting.
The annual reunion celebration at the park attracts hundreds of people each year. Attendees said the Saturday event was filled with current students, alumni and many families from West Oakland.
"We believe that there may have been more than one shooter and we're thankful that no one else at this crowded family-friendly event was harmed," said Deputy Police Chief Frederick Shavies.
"I am here to assure families that our school is safe. I have been on the phone all morning ensuring that we have additional adults on staff to support the mental health of our students and families but also for the security of our campus," said McClymonds High principal Darielle Davis.
Police sources told CBS News Bay Area it was a targeted shooting. While the police had not released the victim's identity as of Sunday evening, the victim's family and friends said the shooting killed 38-year-old Tony Miller.
Police said the McClymonds High graduate was two days shy of his 39th birthday. Police said the victim's twin brother Tommy Miller was shot and killed in a 2008 shootout in East Oakland. Tommy Miller was 22 years old when he was killed.
"We have activated our Ceasefire strategy so that we can actually intercept, interrupt any possible future violent crime that stems from this incident," said Thao.
Neighbors and alumni said it was the first shooting in decades of the large annual event.
"This is typically a very safe space and even though this incident happened, for the entire day, it was a beautiful experience of people barbecuing, listening to music, just reminiscing," said City Councilwoman Carroll Fife, who represents the neighborhood.
Yarbrough and his wife attended the reunion. He said he wasn't worried and planned to attend next year's reunion at the park.
"One person shouldn't be able to take that joy away from the rest of us," said Yarbrough.
Police said no one was arrested in the killing. There were a lot of witnesses at the park. They're asking people to come forward with information.
Oakland police said homicides are down. This marked the 70th homicide in the city this year. Police said there were 97 homicides in the same period last year.
