Oakland School Shooting Leaves at Least Six People Injured: Police

At least six people were injured at a school shooting in Northern California, according to Oakland Police Captain Casey Johnson.

Oakland police said they began investigating reports of gunfire around 1:45 p.m. in the 8200 block of Fontaine Street, where there are multiple schools and school-aged children. The building where the shooting took place is shared by BayTech Charter School, Rudsdale Newcomer High School and Sojourner Truth Independent Study.

City Council Member Treva Reid told the Associated Press that authorities informed her the shooting could be tied to "group and gang violence."

On Twitter, Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf said that the shooting occurred at Sojourner Truth School but that all the victims involved are adults.

"Today's gun violence at Sojourner Truth school shocks the soul -- our schools are sanctuaries for our children," Schaaf wrote, adding that "The school is now clear + all children being reunited w/ families."

Three patients remain in critical condition with gunshot wounds at Highland Hospital, according to a hospital spokesperson. The other three victims were transported to Eden Medical Center.

On Wednesday afternoon, the Oakland Unified School District said that there were no students at the site of the shooting.

"There was an incident today at the King Estate campus on Fontaine Street, which houses the co-located Rudsdale Continuation and Newcomer high schools, BayTech Charter School, and the headquarters of Sojourner Truth Independent Study, which has no students at the site," the district said in a statement.

"The campus is near Oakland Academy of Knowledge (OAK), but it is important to note the incident was NOT at OAK, nor did it have anything to do with that elementary school," it added. "We currently do not have any information beyond what Oakland Police are reporting."

Alameda County sheriff's office spokesperson Lieutenant Ray Kelly said that while the incident is no longer active, the number of people injured "could go up or down."

Speaking to ABC7 News, Kelly said, ""If I was a betting person, I'd say this was probably a targeted event."

The shooting comes just a day after Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong planned to increase the presence of officers in areas with concentrated gun violence. The city has seen nine people shot and killed in the last nine days, and a total of 93 slayings this year.

Speaking to the San Fransisco Chronicle, Antonio Ramirez, a counselor at Bay Tech, said the reaction to Wednesday's shooting was "mixed."

"I think that just speaks to where our kids come from," Ramirez said. "A lot of them come from areas where shooting is part of their daily life. Some of them were shook. And for some it was another day."

Newsweek has reached out to BayTech, Rudsdale and Sojourner Truth for comment.