In an effort to safely evacuate the students out of the school, law enforcement can be seen in the hallways with their guns. At one point, kids start running towards the exit. Many students tell us that they are still shaken over everything that happened.
According to authorities, several adults sustained injuries following a shooting at the school campus in East Oakland, which accommodates various educational institutions.
Chief LeRonne Armstrong stated during the press conference that among the six individuals who were shot, innocent bystanders rather than the intended targets were either attending school or engaged in work.
VIDEO: School authorities messaged the victims of the Oakland shooting to refrain from collaborating with the police inquiry: Sources.
He said two of the victims are in serious condition. One victim is in stable condition but the exact condition is unknown.
Three additional individuals have been discharged from the medical facility.
Among the six victims, two individuals are enrolled as students, one individual serves as a counselor, another works as a security guard, and the remaining two are members of the school staff.
Armstrong, the Chief of shooters, mentioned that there might be at least two more accomplices related to this case.
The head official stated that over 30 shots were fired on the campus. “That is completely unacceptable,” he remarked.
VIDEO: An employee of OUSD was grazed in the head by a bullet and a teacher assisted him to safety.
He affirms that the shooting is probably connected to gangs. However, no arrests have been carried out.
Mayor Libby Schaff of Oakland conveyed the requirement for enhancement during the press briefing on Thursday, underscoring the vital importance of federal intervention regarding firearm regulation.
We must continue to demand from the people who have the most power to take action on what happened on Wednesday (yesterday) and bring about the necessary changes.
Rudsdale High, along with the other educational institutions on King Estates Campus, stayed closed on Thursday.
Due to the fact that we need to repair a lot of damage on the campus, Sasaki John, the spokesperson of OUSD, stated that they will remain closed for at least the time being.
Examining law enforcement, the preparedness and response of the school district.
According to Chief Armstrong of the Police, investigators are searching for at least two shooters and an accomplice who breached the front of Rudsdale High Continuation School before the fire opening, but it appears that the suspects didn’t use any tools to break into the school for the break.
“We’re not sure at this point how they entered, if the door was unlocked, or if it was already open,” said Armstrong.
The safety plan for the Campus Estates King district is unclear, but it is required to secure building doors. The Facilities Condition Index report indicates that there is a need for security and fire enhancements worth $747,304 at Campus Estates King. According to the Master Facilities Plan 2020 of OUSD, the district has identified 88 school sites, including seven high schools, where alarm and security systems upgrades are needed.
“We are regularly assessing the security protocols at all of our schools,” stated John Sasaki, spokesperson for OUSD.
District 6 Councilman Loren Taylor says the district’s unarmed school resource officers certainly wasn’t enough, calling on security measures to be upgraded.
Taylor said, “We clearly didn’t have the resources to prevent this, but I know that Baytech, one of the charter schools, had their own security guards in place.”
The Chief Armstrong LeRonne announced this week that plans to restart that unit. In addition, nine officers from the Traffic Enforcement Unit were removed. Plus, 41 officer positions that were suspended were specifically assigned to the Response Team 911 Surge, aimed at reducing emergency wait times. At the same time, the police force has eliminated staffing cuts at OPD and OUSD. Resources have been cut in several ways.
“We do require to have as many individuals accessible to react from what’s allocated,” Taylor stated.
Councilmember Noel Gallo claims that the Oakland Police Department has enough funding to maintain a adequately staffed team; nevertheless, the department is still short of 55 officers.
Gallo said, “The funds are allocated in the budget.” “My children at school ensure that I am able to fulfill my desires and that they become a reality.”
The Education Board of OUSD passed a resolution in 2018, stating that the district’s teachers should be trained to respond to active shooter emergencies, as instructed by the I-Team at ABC7 News.
Sasaki stated, “The students who acted heroically yesterday made sure that those who were directly affected and those who were not directly affected were safe, especially the staff.”
Gun violence is the primary concern for parents at the Oakland school board and mayoral candidate forum.
The constant concern for many parents in Oakland is the threat of gun violence. It may be the night after the shooting at Newcomer Rudsdale High School in East Oakland that six people were injured on the campus of King Estate School.
Billy Bowling, a parent from Oakland, expresses, “It profoundly affects the community. You are uncertain about the solutions. What occurred? How can you access them? As a parent, you feel anxious, but upon hearing that, you are already concerned.”
The shooting was the primary concern for many individuals. He attended the separate school board and mayoral candidate forums on Thursday evening at Castlemont High School, which is located one and a half miles away from Rusdale.
Bowling claims that voters in Oakland have exclusively been exposed to political speeches and promises for a considerable amount of time. He longs to observe concrete advancements and accountability.
Bowling expressed, “Provide accessible documents or relevant information that we, the general public, can examine. What progress has been made? What developments are taking place? What are the future plans? We desire tangible results and transparency regarding the utilization of funds.”
According to Ermelinda Ortega, from Families In Action, the organization that organized the candidate forums, “We are all simply exhausted by the ongoing violence in Oakland.”
Her primary concern is the safety of schools in Oakland, as she is currently a parent of a student. While she supports the presence of campus police in Oakland, she does not desire to have state police. Growing up in Oakland, she values tighter security measures and does not want state police involvement in schools.
“Furthermore, implementing specific closures of schools and restricting parental access without prior notification,” proposes Ortega.
According to Elea Zarcuenca, a resident of Oakland for 25 years, “Currently, our children are not truly secure. As evident, it is not truly secure for children. However, it is not the case. Allegedly, the schools are exceedingly safe.”
She believes that the Oakland school board should encourage schools to take tours and address the problems that they are already aware of. As a parent, Zarcuenca is concerned about the possibility of another school shooting in Oakland.
“They need to visit and explore the school premises, the essential facilities for our students,” she expresses.
The entire city is impacted by the violence that is influencing schools, however, Lisa Carey, who also participated in the candidate discussions, does not have children enrolled in educational institutions.
The school board asserts that in East Oakland, particularly in its effects on families and food insecurity, the curriculum and requirements should prioritize updating, without endorsing the presence of police on campus.
According to Carey, “In both the city and the schools, there seems to be a problem with the allocation of funds. The money that is supposed to be spent on providing food for children in their homes is somehow not reaching those who need it. This raises an important question: what is happening to the money?” Carey also questions the effectiveness of the current system, particularly in regards to how the school day begins and how people are compensated for their work.
Should Oakland reinstate school resource officers?
The former Police Chief of Oakland Unified School District, Jeff Godown, said that even if his department had avoided it, the shooting at yesterday’s Godown Jeff District School could not have been prevented.
“The answer is negative,” expressed Godown, presently serving as the Interim Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety at California State University, San Bernardino. “We could not have evaded it. Recollect, we did not possess law enforcement personnel stationed at each educational institution. We would have reacted to the request similarly to how the Oakland Police Department reacted to the request.”
“Violence interrupters,” also known as 13, are part of an organization called Alive! Youth. It is a program that is included in those programs aimed at preventing violence. The implementation of these programs involves a tough period of transition that the city of Oakland believes is necessary.
“Those who are able to make a real change are the people that they know and trust, dealing with what they like and living here in Oakland, where they have been. That’s what Angelina Gutierrez from Youth Alive explained.”