The Brief
- Early Monday morning saw a triple shooting at an East Oakland smoke shop, followed less than two hours later by a fatal shooting of a man walking his dog in the East Oakland hills.
- Overall crime numbers are showing a downward trend in Oakland.
- Residents are looking toward leadership stability as the city is expected to name a new police chief soon.
OAKLAND, Calif. – While overall crime numbers are showing a downward trend in Oakland, a recent string of violent incidents—including a fatal shooting, a triple shooting, and an armed kidnapping—has highlighted the ongoing safety anxieties weighing on local residents.
Triple shooting at Luxe Express
The violence began shortly after 4:30 a.m. Monday at Luxe Express, a smoke shop on International Boulevard in East Oakland. Shattered glass was left at the scene of a triple shooting that left three people injured. Police confirmed that one of the injured people has since been arrested.
Oakland City Council Member Charlene Wang, who represents the neighborhood and chairs the public safety committee, characterized the business as a persistent trouble spot.
“It’s just an ongoing challenge for that area—gambling shacks, possible human trafficking, it could be human trafficking related,” Wang said. “There’s just a lot of underground economy activity along that whole corridor… I’m trying to clean it up, stop it.”
City worker killed walking dog
Less than two hours later, at approximately 6:15 a.m., violence struck again. A 47-year-old man, identified by family as Jermaine Newton, was shot and killed while walking his dog in the East Oakland hills.
Residents divided on safety
Despite the violent start to the week, some community members maintain that the city’s broader trajectory is improving.…