OAKLAND — One person was killed and four others were wounded, two by catalytic converter thieves, in three shootings that happened within four hours Friday night in East Oakland, authorities said.
The fatal shooting happened about 8:41 p.m. Friday inside the Ali Baba Smoke Shop, 10220 International Boulevard, authorities said.
A 25-year-old man was shot multiple times and pronounced dead at the scene. His name has not yet been released.
A 27-year-old woman was also shot in the leg. She was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition.
Police have not yet said if the two knew each other or if either of them was connected to the business.
A motive for the shooting is under investigation and no arrests have been made.
The killing is the 107th homicide investigated by Oakland police this year. The California Highway Patrol has also investigated five homicides on Oakland freeways. Last year at this time Oakland police had investigated 117 homicides in the city.
The catalytic converter theft-related shooting happened about 9:08 p.m. Friday in the 1900 block of 42nd Avenue.
A 32-year-old woman and a 39-year-old man were shot after they interrupted at least two suspects trying to steal a catalytic converter from one of their vehicles, authorities said.
The suspects fled before police arrived. The two victims were taken to a hospital and were in stable condition. Police have not yet said how the victims are related.
There have been numerous shootings in the East Bay involving catalytic converter thefts. In one, thieves fatally shot a 60-year-old man Oct. 4 in Oakland’s Glenview neighborhood. In another, a Castro Valley man was shot twice Oct. 12 when he confronted suspects.
The other Oakland shooting happened about midnight in the area of 103rd Avenue and International Boulevard. A 52-year-old man told police he was confronted by another man who said something to him before shooting him in the arm. The suspect fled and the man got his own ride to a hospital. A motive for the shooting is under investigation. It is not believed to be related to the earlier fatal shooting, authorities said.
Police and Crime Stoppers of Oakland are offering up to $15,000 in reward money in the smoke shop shooting, up to $10,000 in the catalytic converter theft-related shooting and up to $5,000 in the other shooting for information leading to the arrests of the shooters. Anyone with information may call police at 510-238-3821 or 510-238-7950 or 510-238-3426 or Crime Stoppers at 510-777-8572.
Source: www.mercurynews.com