According to police, several people were shot at the Juneteenth celebration in Oakland

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — A Juneteenth celebration ended in violence when several people were shot, police in Oakland, California, said.

The event at Lake Merritt on Wednesday evening was largely peaceful with about 5,000 attendees until a side show involving “motorcycles and vehicles” took place on the north side of the lake at the corner of Bellevue and Grand Avenue around 8:15 p.m., police said in a news release Thursday.

Further down the street where the sideshow was taking place, a fight broke out and a crowd gathered near the brawl, police reported.

“Several shots were fired during the scuffle,” said Paul Chambers, OPD strategic communications manager. The shooting occurred at 8:45 p.m. While it was not immediately clear how many people were injured, police said several were hit by gunfire and taken to the hospital. There were no reports of fatalities.

As officers tried to move the crowd to safety, several people struck OPD officers, Chambers said. At least one person was taken into custody for assault on an officer, he said. Police did not disclose how many officers were attacked.

According to KTVU-TV, there was a large police presence at the scene, with up to two dozen police vehicles and several ambulances. Police said 28 officers and four sergeants were on site to monitor the incident.

The mood was described as chaotic and confrontational. Participants in the celebrations clashed verbally with police. Some criticized the police’s actions and said they did not react quickly enough when people were injured, KTVU reported.

In 2021, a shooting during a Juneteenth celebration at Lake Merritt injured six people and killed a 22-year-old San Francisco man.

Police said the investigation into Wednesday evening’s shooting was still ongoing.

The Associated Press