Fatal Oakland freeway shooting shuts down northbound lanes of I-880 for several hours
OAKLAND, Calif. - A fatal freeway shooting shut down all northbound lanes of Interstate I-880 in Oakland for several hours Friday evening, law enforcement officials say.
California Highway Patrol is investigating the shooting that killed a man. Traffic was diverted off the freeway at Oak Street until all lanes were reopened just before 10 p.m.
The CHP said the man was driving near the Broadway exit around 5:15 p.m. during rush-hour traffic when he was shot, causing him to veer his Honda sedan and crash into a guardrail. CHP reported a severe traffic alert at 5:58 p.m
Traffic was seen backed up for miles stretching to the Oakland Coliseum.
There was a heavy law enforcement presence at the scene following the shooting. CHP has not released many details surrounding the incident. The victim died at the scene. It is not known if the victim was the intended target of the shooting.
Video from the scene shows the black Honda Civic on the freeway shoulder with its hazard lights blinking and what appears to be a CHP officer approaching the vehicle. CHP focused on that vehicle for several hours. The vehicle's airbags were deployed and it has an out-of-state license plate.
This is the fourth deadly freeway shooting in Oakland in less than three months.
The shooting occurred not far from where Jasper Wu, a toddler riding as a passenger in a vehicle, was shot by a stray bullet and killed last November.
Then on November 18, Armani Morris was killed sitting in the front passenger seat.
And exactly one month ago, David Nguyen, a recruit with the Alameda County Sheriff's Department, was shot and killed while driving home after attending classes.
One woman who lives in an apartment overlooking the freeway one woman who lives in an apartment overlooking the freeway said she's frightened.
"My first thought was another shooting and it's scary. I drive this freeway every day and it's really scary for my family and my children," said Delesha Mahoney, a resident in the area.
This shooting too close to home for George Alsup who lives in an apartment complex for seniors near the shooting.
"I was shocked. It was incomprehensible over here," said Alsup, "When they got people out there shooting at people. It don't make sense."
When asked if she had second thoughts about driving on the freeway in the East Bay, Mahoney said, "If I can take the side streets to get to where I need to go, I do that instead of being on the freeway."
Anyone with information about this shooting should call CHP Investigation Tip Line at 707-917-4491.
KTVU's Amber Lee, Associated Press and Bay City News contributed to this report.