A 19-year-old man was fatally shot a couple hours before dawn Monday in East Oakland, marking the city’s first homicide of 2024.
The killing punctuated a violent start to the New Year in the city, where violent crime is up more than 20%, after three other men also were shot in separate incidents throughout Oakland within a couple hours of midnight, police said.
The fatal shooting happened outdoors shortly before 5:15 a.m. Monday in the 1900 block of 36th Avenue. A 19-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. His name has not been released.
A motive for the killing remains under investigation, and police have not yet said if he was shot by someone in a passing vehicle, or by someone who confronted him on the street. No arrests have been announced.
The killing marked the first death investigated as a homicide by Oakland police in 2024. Last year, the city also recorded its first homicide of the year on Jan. 1, when a 55-year-old man was fatally shot in East Oakland after he got into an argument with someone else. In all, 126 people died in homicides across the city in 2023, marking a fourth straight year of 100 or more killings in the city. There were 123 in 2022, 134 in 2021 — a 15-year high — and 109 in 2020.
The deadly shooting came a few hours after three other people were shot in separate incidents elsewhere in Oakland.
The violence began at 12:31 a.m., when another 19-year-old man was shot in the 7000 block of Rudsdale Street in East Oakland. The teenager told police he was standing outside when he heard gunfire, and realized he’d been shot. Someone drove him to the hospital, and he is expected to survive.
The shooting remains under investigation, and police are not sure yet if the man was an intended target, or was hit by stray gunfire.
Officers were called to another shooting at 1:49 a.m., when an 18-year-old man was hit in the chest during a drive-by shooting in the 2200 block of E. 17th Street in East Oakland. He is expected to survive after being driven to a hospital.
Less than an hour later, a 31-year-old man was shot in the shoulder at 2:24 a.m. while standing outside in the 800 block of McElroy Street. He also is expected to survive.
No arrests have been announced in any of the shootings.
A reward of up to $10,000 is being offered for information leading to an arrest in the killing on 36th Avenue. Anyone with tips about that case can call police at 510-238-3821, or at 510-238-7950.
A $5,000 reward is available for information leading to arrests in any of the three other shootings that happened early Monday morning in Oakland. Tips can be submitted to 510-238-3426.
Additionally, anonymous tips can be left with Crime Stoppers for any of those cases by calling 510-777-8572.