Homeless tents under a State Route 24 overpass in Oakland – photo credit: Harika Maddala
An Oakland homeless shelter site was the scene of a fatal shooting in Oakland, city officials said.
The victim was shot at about 3:30 a.m. at the site at Third and Peralta streets near South Prescott Park and the main Oakland Post Office.
The man’s name has not yet been released by police, a police spokesperson said Thursday.
“We are deeply troubled that one of our residents at this site was killed in a senseless act of violence,” Estelle Clemons, interim director of Oakland’s Human Services Department, said in a statement. “The shock and grief have reverberated amongst cabin residents and beyond the gates.”
The site is managed by the Housing Consortium of the East Bay, which creates communities for people with developmental disabilities and various other needs. The Housing Consortium has a contract with the city to manage the site.
City officials said the Housing Consortium is taking steps to improve safety at the site. No longer will visitors be allowed there and residents must submit to a curfew from 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. each day.
Everyone coming onto the site will be screened and must sign in. Bags, backpacks and purses will be searched, and residents will be scanned with metal-detecting wands.
Alameda County Health Care for the Homeless was planning to offer grief counseling to residents and staff and the Oakland Department of Violence Prevention was contacted to engage with the surrounding community.
Councilmember Carroll Fife is expected to be involved in that engagement, city officials said.
Police said Thursday that no arrest has been made in the case. The shooter fled after opening fire, according to the city.
The Housing Consortium of the East Bay needs to be sued and their contract with the city terminated. Did the contract have safety provisions. I believe we need more visibility into these agreements before the city starts handing over money to these advocate groups.