Juneteenth party shooting as multiple people gunned down in California

Multiple people were shot during a Juneteenth celebration in Oakland, California, on Wednesday night.

The event near Lake Merritt was largely peaceful, with roughly 5,000 people in attendance, until an “illegal sideshow involving vehicles and motorbikes” took place near Grand Avenue and Bellevue Avenue at around 8:15 p.m., the Oakland Police Department said in a news release early Thursday.

A fight broke out near the sideshow, police said.

“As the crowd headed toward the altercation, multiple shots were fired,” the department said. “Officers located several victims who were struck by the gunfire.” The shooting occurred at 8:45 p.m.

No fatalities were reported. Police said it was not immediately clear how many people were injured. Several victims were transported by medical personnel to an area hospital, while other victims were taken to hospitals by private transportation.

No arrests have been made, and it is not clear if there was more than one shooter in the incident.

As officers tried to guide the crowd to safety, several people in the crowd “punched and pushed officers, resulting in minor injuries.” One person was taken into custody for assaulting an officer, police said.

There was a large police presence in the area on Wednesday night, with as many as two dozen police vehicles and multiple ambulances at the scene, according to KTVU-TV.

There were 28 officers and four sergeants monitoring the Juneteenth event.

Juneteenth marks the day when the last enslaved people in the U.S. learned they were free. Black Americans have celebrated the day for generations, with parades, festivals, and cookouts. In 2021, President Joe Biden signed a bill passed by Congress that made June 19 a federal holiday.

In 2021, a 22-year-old man was killed and several others were wounded in a shooting during Oakland’s Juneteenth celebration at Lake Merritt.

Wednesday night’s shooting comes after gunfire broke out at a Juneteenth celebration at a public park in Texas on Saturday night.

Two women were killed and 14 others were injured after an altercation escalated into a shooting in Old Settlers Park Round Rock, about 20 miles north of Austin.

The investigation of Wednesday night’s shooting was ongoing, police said.

Anyone with information about the incident is urged to contact the Oakland Police Department’s Felony Assault Unit at (510) 238-3426. Anyone with videos or photos that could assist with the investigation is asked to send them to cidvideos@oaklandca.gov.