Two men were wounded in a pre-dawn drive-by shooting in East Oakland early today, a burst of gunfire that left neighbors on edge. The attack happened at about 1:55 a.m. in the 5800 block of Avenal Avenue, police said. A third man in the car was not injured, and both wounded men were taken to a hospital, where they were listed in stable condition.
According to The Mercury News, initial police reports identified the victims as a 21-year-old who was shot in the back and a 33-year-old who was shot in the arm. Police told reporters the group was driving when a van pulled alongside their vehicle, and someone inside opened fire. Investigators have not released descriptions of the van or the shooter, and the motive remains under investigation, the outlet reported.
Police ask for tips and video
The Oakland Police Department is asking anyone with information, photos, or video of the shooting to contact the Criminal Investigations Division at (510) 238-3426 or to send media to [email protected]. Officers urged people with dash-cam or phone footage from the early morning hours to preserve it and share it with detectives.
How investigators say it unfolded
After the shooting, the three occupants drove to another location and called police, The Mercury News reported. It was not immediately clear which of the three had been behind the wheel when the van pulled up. The two wounded men remained in stable condition at a local hospital, while the third passenger was not hurt, authorities said.
Context: a city trying to curb gun violence
Oakland finished 2025 with one of its lowest homicide totals in decades, a shift local leaders linked to renewed violence-prevention efforts, including the Ceasefire strategy, the San Francisco Chronicle reported. Even so, officials acknowledge that isolated shootings continue to occur, and say community cooperation remains crucial for both solving cases and preventing future violence…