Early morning gunfire broke out during an argument inside EZ's Lounge on 14th Street in downtown Oakland Saturday, killing two people, including an eighth grade teacher, and injuring five others who are expected to survive.

The shooting happened around 3:30 am Saturday at EZ's Lounge on 14th Street in downtown Oakland near City Hall, following the popular First Friday street festival. As the Bay Area News Group reports, police said the fight began inside the bar, but none of the seven victims were believed to be the intended targets.

The News Group reports that the victim who died at the scene was identified as 33-year-old Latetia “Teesh” Bobo, an eighth grade teacher at Caliber Beta Academy in San Pablo, as well as a writer and producer in the music industry. As the Chronicle reports, a 25-year-old man, whose name hasn't been released, later died at the hospital Saturday morning around 11:30 am.

Bay City News reports that five other people were injured, and three were hospitalized in stable condition. All are expected to survive. Per the News Group, video footage of the shooting (included below) shows patrons fleeing the bar as gunfire was erupting. Police detained several people and confiscated multiple firearms.

“Ms. Bobo was such a special part of our community. She brought kindness, warmth, joy, laughter, creativity, and deep care into everything she did,” said Caliber Beta Academy, in a statement, per the News Group. “Whether it was supporting a student, connecting with a family, hosting a funeral for a fictional character, or collaborating with a colleague, she did so with intention and heart. She was an incredible educator and an even more incredible human being who truly valued relationships and community.”

Oakland Police Department's Homicide Section is investigating the shooing. Anyone with information should contact (510) 238-3821 or the department's tip line at (510) 238-7950. Email tips with pictures and video to cidvideos@oaklandca.gov.

Image: EZ's Lounge

• Three bystanders were hit by stray bullets on International Boulevard in Oakland early Sunday during a dispute between other people, and they’re all in stable condition. [Bay Area News Group]
• Several hundred protestors rallied outside the federal building at 7th and Mission streets in SF Saturday expressing outrage over the major US-Israeli military attack that killed at least 201 people and injured more than 700. [Mission Local]
• District 10 supervisor Shamann Walton and other city leaders held a ribbon-cutting for the new 3rd Street Youth Clinic’s Transitional Age Youth (TAY) Housing for all SF residents ages 12–27, which includes a clinic and wellness center, along with resources for finding stable housing and employment. [Shamann Walton/Instagram]

• An Ebony Alert has been issued for 15-year-old Cameron Parker who was last seen near 1st Avenue and 1st Avenue Place in Oakland around 10 pm Saturday wearing a red and black sweatshirt, red and black pants and red New Balance shoes, authorities said. [Bay Area News Group]
• A 51-year-old man was arrested on hate crime charges Saturday morning for allegedly vandalizing a church in SF's Pacific Heights with graffiti depicting swastikas and other antisemitic and homophobic words, causing $20,000 in damage. [KRON4]

Leanne Maxwell/SFist

The South Bay’s largest mall, Westfield Valley Fair Mall, was temporarily closed until noon Saturday during the investigation of a shooting that led to the evacuation of thousands of Black Friday shoppers. A man was shot during an argument with the suspect, and two bystanders were also shot.

Update: The mall reopened Saturday at noon, per KRON4. “For those that left a vehicle overnight, you may retrieve it from the property at your earliest convenience,” the mall said on social media. The mall’s lost-and-found is located on the third floor across from Security Dispatch.

Update 2: As KRON4 reports via San Jose police, the incident is believed to have been gang-related.

The shooting happened around 5:30 pm Friday, November 28, as KPIX reports, in front of the Macy’s on the second floor of the Westfield Valley Fair Mall — which sits on the Santa Clara-San Jose border. Three people were taken to the hospital with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds, including the man involved in an altercation with the suspect, as well as two bystanders — a woman and a 16-year-old girl. The suspect fled the scene before authorities arrived and is still at large, per KRON4.

Eye witnesses in the below video segments describe mass panic as shoppers ran to the exits or ducked inside stores or under nearby structures.

“We were just all sitting at a table, chilling together, and then all of  a sudden, we start hearing, like, pop sounds, several pop sounds. And we start seeing people running," witness Sumaya Alqadhy told NBC Bay Area. “As soon as we made it outside, the shots came outside. So now we're hearing multiple back-to-back shots, and we start running in multiple directions.”

“We all started running, and then we came to the parking lot. Everybody was running, screaming, and crying,” witness Armando told KPIX. “Probably like 20 minutes after, we see a guy walk out with a wound on his chest, and he was bleeding. That’s when we knew this was real.”

“I just tried to find a spot to hide. People were going under the tables. I went also under the tables and waited there probably five minutes,” witness Emily Sanchez told KPIX. “I was just looking at people’s faces and looking how scared they were.”

“There was so much chaos, and even a lot of people were getting injured running on the way out because there was a really narrow bottle-neck at the exits to the point where we got separated,” witness Ali Danesh told NBC Bay Area. “Even though I was with a group, with my family members, they were separated into the back of the Gap store.”

Per KGO, staff and shoppers who were barricaded inside the mall during the investigation were escorted through Macy’s by law enforcement with machine guns around 6:30 pm.

“This shooting appears to be an isolated incident and NOT an active shooter,” San Jose police wrote in a social media post, per KRON4. “However, officers are evacuating and clearing the mall to confirm there is no ongoing threat to public safety.”

Shoppers involved in Friday’s incident say they might be avoiding malls for the foreseeable future. “I’m only online shopping now,” witness Neema told NBC Bay Area. “Why come to the mall if this is an actual possibility.”

“I’m 28 years old, and I feel like I’ve experienced a lot,” Ali Danesh told NBC Bay Area. “There’s nothing that equates to a life or death situation like this, when you are dealing with the unknown, and you’re dealing with an unknown threat, and you see the mass hysteria around you. It’s terrifying. It’s soul-crushing.”

Residents are asked to continue avoiding the area as the investigation is ongoing. Per NBC Bay Area, mall security will also be boosting patrols when the mall re-opens.

“We can say for a matter of fact that this was not unsuspected shoppers that were targeted, this was an isolated incident with two individuals, and unfortunately two others were injured,” said Sergeant Jorge Garibay of the San Jose Police Department, per KGO. “And this shouldn't stop people from enjoying their holiday."

“San Jose - this is not the news I wanted to share with you this holiday weekend,” said San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan on social media. My prayers are with these victims and I know our officers are doing everything they can to find the person responsible and hold them accountable.”

Image: Katedief/Wikimedia

Image: Leanne Maxwell/SFist

A federal appeals court ruled Oakland police can be held liable for the 2022 death of Lolo Soakai, a bystander killed after an unauthorized pursuit—challenging qualified immunity and allowing the family's lawsuit to proceed.

According to KTVU, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Friday that the Oakland Police Department can be held liable for the death of Lolomanaia “Lolo” Soakai, a 28-year-old bystander killed in a 2022 crash following an unauthorized police pursuit. The ruling allows the family’s wrongful death lawsuit against the city to proceed and marks a significant challenge to the use of qualified immunity in reckless pursuit cases, which often shields police officers from civil liability.

On June 26, 2022, rookie OPD officers Walid Abdelaziz and Jimmy Marin-Coronel pursued 19-year-old Arnold Azael Linaldi, who was allegedly leaving a sideshow on International Boulevard. The officers initiated a “ghost chase”—unauthorized under department policy, with no supervisor approval and no lights or sirens. During the pursuit, Linaldi crashed into a row of parked vehicles and motorcycles, setting off a chain-reaction collision. A motorcycle flew into Soakai, who was standing at a taco truck with his mother after attending a family graduation. Soakai was killed at the scene. His mother sustained a broken back, and two cousins were hospitalized.

The court held that officers may be held accountable under the Fourteenth Amendment’s due process clause. In a 48-page opinion, the 9th Circuit found the officers had "affirmatively created danger" and failed to get help for the victims. One judge noted it was plausible the officers caused harm for reasons “unrelated to any legitimate law enforcement purpose,” citing body cam footage where one said of the driver, “I hope he dies.”

While narrow in scope, the ruling sets precedent within the 9th Circuit and puts limits on police pursuits deemed reckless. The City of Oakland may appeal, potentially delaying proceedings further. As of late 2024, both officers remained on the force, despite reported efforts to fire them in 2023.

The case lands amid debate over pursuit policy. Governor Newsom has urged Oakland to loosen restrictions, but critics argue Soakai’s death shows why stricter oversight is essential.

Previously: Report Alleges Oakland PD Officers Lied About No-Headlights, 100-MPH Car Chase That Killed Bystander

Image: Battlesnake1/Wikimedia

This morning a little before 1:30 a.m., the fuzz tried to take down a couple of robbery suspects at an Ingleside McDonald's (mmm -- sorry, we had a couple of beers last night.) Although the suspects managed to get away, one person got hit, or so she claims.

A McDonald's next-door neighbor is in the hospital, reporting that she was hit in the shoulder by a police officer's stray bullet -- a bullet meant for the fast-food robber. Although the SFPD will admit that a "weapon was discharged," they maintain that she was not injured as a result. She, however, claims that she was hit by the stray bullet. Look at the footage and her (reportedly) meandering outside of her home to seek medical attention just after getting shot, and judge for yourselves.

Oh, and one more thing: the robbery suspects managed to get away.


Image: CBS 5