Man killed during robbery in Oakland

A man died after he was shot during an apparent robbery attempt near Lake Merritt on Wednesday night, police said.

Oakland police officers responded to the incident just before 9 p.m. on the 1200 block of Lakeshore Avenue, where they found a man suffering from an apparent gunshot wound.

The victim was transported to a local hospital but died there of his injuries, police said. His identity has not been released.

Police did not release any details about the attempted robbery. No arrests have been made. Oakland police homicide investigators have taken over the investigation.

The shooting is the third homicide since November in the Lakeshore cul-de-sac. The previous November and December homicides in the area have had suspects identified and charged, according to Oakland City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas, who represents the area.

In a news conference Thursday afternoon, Oakland police Chief LeRonne Armstrong said the fact that police were again called to that stretch of Lakeshore Drive for a shooting was “troubling.” The area “has been a priority and will continue to be a priority moving forward,” he said.

“While we are making some strides towards making our community a bit safer, we still see these isolated events happening that obviously cause tremendous fear in our community, and we’re working to address it,” Armstrong said.

The Police Department does not have the resources to place officers in the area around the clock, he said, but it will have officers patrolling the cul-de-sac when staffing allows for it.

“As we address all of the issues that we have in the city of Oakland, it makes it challenging for us to have a presence there (Lakeshore Drive) all the time,” Armstrong said. “Obviously we’re challenged with resources, as we are now at a low of 652 officers.”

In November, the Police Department’s ranks fell to 677 officers, which officials said at the time was the lowest staffing level in Oakland in more than a decade and the first time that staffing levels dipped below the minimum 678 officers required by a 2014 tax measure that helps fund some of the city’s public safety programs.

Still, Oakland has seen a 14% decrease in homicides this year compared to this time last year, as well as a 22% decrease in shootings and a 19% decrease in robberies, Armstrong said.

In a statement, Fortunato Bas said gun reform at the national level should be a priority, and that officials must continue their work to get illegal guns and virtually untraceable ghost guns off the streets of Oakland. It was not immediately clear if the gun used in Wednesday’s shooting was a ghost gun or illegal weapon.

“While our response after crime has happened is important, we must also address violence at its roots — providing Oaklanders with stable housing and good jobs, and increasing resources in our most impacted neighborhoods with violence interrupters, outreach workers, and mentors,” Fortunato Bas said in her statement.

Anyone with information on the shooting can contact the Homicide Section at 510-238-3821 or the tip line at 510-2387950. Police are also seeking video footage from the area that could help them identify suspects.