OAKLAND — Police have identified the man killed at a West Oakland tiny home community for homeless residents as 43-year-old Deandre S. Irvin.
Irvin had been living at the community in the 300 block of Peralta Street for the past few months when he was shot just before 3:20 a.m. on Saturday. He was taken to the hospital, where he later died.
A motive for the killing is under investigation. No arrests have been made.
The city-funded tiny home site, which has been open for a year, provides temporary shelter for about 40 homeless residents while they search for permanent housing.
The site is managed by the nonprofit Housing Consortium of the East Bay, which is contracted by the city. To step up security in the wake of the shooting, visitors are no longer allowed at the site — which is enclosed by a fence with a locked gate — and residents will be subject to a curfew of 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., the city said this week. Everyone who enters the premises will be required to sign in. Their bags and purses will be searched, and they will be checked with a metal-detecting wand.
Healthcare for the Homeless will offer grief counseling for residents and program staff, and the city’s Department of Violence Prevention will provide outreach in the neighboring community.
“We are deeply troubled that one of our residents at this site was killed in a senseless act of violence Saturday night,” Estelle Clemons, Oakland’s interim director of Human Services, said in a statement. “The shock and grief have reverberated amongst cabin residents and beyond the gates.”
Kristie Hewitt, who also lives at the Peralta Street site, said Irvin was her sister’s boyfriend.
“He took the most care of my sister he could have possibly done,” she said. “He loved her so much.”
Hewitt, who lost her own husband a few years ago, said her heart now is breaking for her sister.
“Nobody should ever have to feel that type of pain,” she said. “It’s not right.”
Anyone with video or information about the shooting is asked to contact the Oakland Police Department Homicide Section at (510) 238-3821 or the tip line at (510) 238-7950.
Staff writer Harry Harris contributed to this report.
Source: www.mercurynews.com