7 killed in shooting at Oakland school
Three injured at Christian Korean school
Gunman described as nursing student at a Korean Christian university; police say a man is in custody,
OAKLAND — Police said seven people were dead and three others injured after a gunman opened fire Monday at a small Korean Christian school.
Oakland Police Chief Howard Jordan said One Goh was in custody after surrendering an hour after the shooting at Oikos University.
Jordan said police recovered enough ballistics evidence to determine that a handgun was used in the rampage. He said 10 people were shot, seven fatally.
“It’s going to take us a few days to put the pieces together,” Jordan said. “We do not have a motive.”
Jordan said Goh is a naturalized U.S. citizen originally from South Korea and a resident of Oakland who is believed to be a former student at the university. He said Goh commandeered the car of one of the victims and drove to nearby Alameda, where he surrendered.
The police chief said Goh also called his father soon after the shooting and told him what happened, and the father called authorities.
Oakland Police spokeswoman Johnna Watson said the gunman entered the school around 10:30 a.m. Oikos shares an address and phone number with the Praise God Korean Church.
Mayor Jean Quan said at least 35 people were at the school at the time.
Five of the victims died at the scene and two at the hospital, Jordan said. Three victims with wounds are in stable condition, he said.
According to federal income tax reports, the university was founded as a non-profit organization in 2008 and reported about $1 million in annual revenue, mostly tuition.
Jerry Sung, the university’s accountant, said the school offers courses in both Korean and English to fewer than 100 students. He said the campus has one building. Sung said many of its students go on to work in nursing and ministry.
Pastor Jong Kim told the Oakland Tribune that he heard about 30 rapid-fire gunshots in the building. “I stayed in my office,” he said.
Deborah Lee, who was in class at the time, said she heard five to six gunshots at first. “The teacher said, ‘Run,’ and we run,” she said.
Dawinder Kaur’s family told the Oakland Tribune she was being treated for a gunshot to her elbow. Kaur, 19, an Army reservist, said the gunman was a student in her nursing class who had been absent for months. The gunman entered the class and ordered students to line up against the wall.
“She told me that a guy went crazy and she got shot,” her brother, Paul Singh, told the newspaper.