Five people died over a span of five days in the past week as a result of gun violence in Oakland, police said Monday. Six people have been shot and killed in the city since Aug. 1.
“We are seeing a major spike in gun crime and shootings in many of our major cities in this quarter,” interim Oakland Police Chief Susan Manheimer said at a news briefing Monday. Police said Austin, San Antonio, Nashville and Denver are among other cities that have seen dramatic spikes in homicides recently.
Darius Brazell, 55, of Oakland was shot to death on Saturday evening at Lakeshore Avenue and Mandana Boulevard, on the east end of the Lakeshore Avenue shopping district. According to police, officers went there at 5:59 p.m. Saturday following a report of a shooting. Brazell was pronounced dead in the area where he was shot.
Six people have died in homicides in August through Aug. 10 in Oakland, police said. Five of the deaths occurred from Aug. 6 onward, according to police.
In Oakland late Sunday, two men were shot and one of them died in gun violence in the 8600 block of Holly Street. Late Saturday night, two men were shot and one of them died in the 1400 block of 72nd Avenue.
On Thursday night, four men were shot, leaving one dead in the 4500 block of Fairfax Avenue. Late Friday night a man died in a shooting in the 1500 block of 92nd Avenue. On Aug. 1, a man was shot and killed in the 2200 block of 35th Avenue. Survivors of the shootings were listed in stable condition as of Monday, police said. Other than Brazell, the names of the victims killed have not been released by police.
We need to get rid of the broad interpretation of the second amendment. A well armed militia, does not mean every Tom, Dick and Harry has guns at his or her disposal.