1 dead, 6 wounded, 2 arrested in California shooting, police say

OAKLAND, Calif. (NewsNation Now) — One person died and six others were injured in a shooting along Lake Merritt in Oakland, California, on Saturday, police said.

The unidentified man was pronounced dead at a hospital after gunfire erupted Saturday evening near Lake Merritt, said Oakland Police Department Officer Johnna Watson.

The other five victims, males ages 16 to 27, and a woman in her 20s, were hospitalized in stable condition, she said Saturday night.

Police said the shooting occurred shortly before 6:30 p.m. about a mile north of the Lake Merritt Amphitheater, where hundreds of people had gathered throughout the day to commemorate June 19, 1865.

That’s when Union soldiers brought the news of freedom to enslaved Black people in Galveston, Texas, two months after the Confederacy had surrendered.

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“Tonight a joyous occasion at our Lake Merritt was marred by a senseless act of gun violence,” said Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf in a statement.

It wasn’t immediately known whether there was any connection between the shooting and the Juneteenth events.

Police said officers saw two men running from the scene with guns after the shooting. Both men, whose names were not released, were arrested. Two guns were recovered, police said.

Investigators with the Oakland Police Department Homicide Investigation Unit are working to determine if the men are connected or responsible for the shooting, police said.

Anyone with information, photos or video footage is asked to contact the Oakland Police Department.

The Associated Press and NewsNation affiliate KRON contributed to this report.