Oakland police arrest 1 person after ‘heartbreaking’ shooting at Skyline High graduation

Oakland police confirmed on Friday the arrest of a person in a shooting at Skyline High School after a graduation ceremony on Thursday eveningan incident that Oakland Unified called “heartbreaking and absolutely unacceptable.”

In an update posted on the Oakland Police Department’s social media accounts, authorities said they had made several arrests and one person in connection with the school shooting.

Officers responded to Skyline High School at 7:45 p.m. Thursday following reports of the shooting. A preliminary investigation by officers revealed that two groups of people got into a fight in the school’s parking lot as people were leaving the graduation ceremony.

According to police, the altercation escalated and gunfire erupted, hitting several people. Police also noted that officers initially found two injured people at the scene who were taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. Later investigations revealed there was a third gunshot victim at a nearby hospital. Police said all three victims are expected to survive.

The Oakland Unified School District also issued a statement on the Skyline shooting on Friday.

“What happened following Skyline High School’s graduation ceremony on Thursday night was heartbreaking and absolutely unacceptable. The incident occurred after the ceremony had concluded and many students, families and staff had left school grounds,” said the statement from OUSD Superintendent Dr. Kyla Johnson-Trammell. “Some people remained on the field to conclude the ceremony and some staff were cleaning up when the shooting occurred. I want to thank Skyline and district staff who were on scene at the time and responded immediately to bring this difficult situation under control until police arrived.”

Johnson-Trammell also said, “As a community, we cannot tolerate violence and must instead work together to eradicate it in Oakland. I know many of us share this collective frustration and despair, and our thoughts are with the victims of this incident, their loved ones, and each graduate and their extended community who attended the ceremony to celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime achievement.”

Following the incident, additional support staff was available to assist Skyline students, faculty and staff on Friday.

Police investigators are currently actively searching for additional shooters and witnesses to the incident and are asking community members – especially anyone who attended the graduation ceremony and has video and/or photographic footage of the incident – to email them at [email protected] or contact OPD’s Aggravated Assault Unit at (510)238-3426.