Oakland police shot and killed a person Monday afternoon in the city's Fruitvale District — the latest in a string of at least seven officer-involved shootings since February 2023, and the first under a chief just handed the permanent job by Mayor Barbara Lee.
The shooting happened around 2 p.m. near 40th Avenue and International Boulevard, according to Oakland Police Chief James Beere. Beere had been serving as acting chief until last week, when Lee made him her permanent pick to lead the department. Police cordoned off a massive stretch of International Boulevard — from 39th Avenue to 42nd Avenue — for hours after the incident.
What we don't know yet matters more than what we do. The Mercury News, which broke the story, reported no details on the identity of the person killed, whether they were armed, the officer's account of what happened, or the suspect's criminal record. The Alameda County District Attorney's office has not yet commented publicly.
The shooting is at least the seventh involving Oakland police since February 2023. The Mercury News catalogued the prior incidents: on May 8, police shot a man suspected of dragging one officer and pinning another against a parked vehicle while fleeing a traffic stop; on April 27, officers fatally shot a man after department leaders say he pointed a gun at them; in January 2025, a sergeant shot and wounded a man firing a rifle on MacArthur Boulevard; in April 2024, officers fatally shot a man wanted in a Sacramento homicide who was allegedly armed with a pistol; in November 2023, a sergeant fatally shot a man who allegedly fired shots at him; and in February 2023, an officer shot and wounded an armed carjacking suspect.
Six of those seven prior incidents involved suspects who were armed or actively attacking officers. The Mercury News listed each one — but offered no analysis of what that pattern means, or why Oakland officers keep ending up in armed confrontations. A city that gutted its police force and installed progressive prosecutors who refused to charge violent offenders has created the conditions where these shootings become more likely — and then the same establishment press expresses shock when they happen.
The Alameda County DA's office will decide whether this shooting was justified. Oakland voters have already revolted once against progressive prosecution, recalling former DA Pamela Price in 2024. Whether the current DA's office applies the law or ideology to this case will tell residents whether anything actually changed.
The facts are still coming in. The narrative is already being built. The gap between the two is where the truth usually gets buried.
