Search for killer who gunned down 16-year-old boy visiting grandfather in Oakland
OAKLAND, Calif. - Oakland police on Friday continued the search for a gunman who used a high-powered rifle to fatally shoot a 16-year-old boy walking with his cousin.
Ki'yehz Brooks, 16, was killed and his 18-year-old cousin was wounded when shots rang out near 65th Avenue and Camden Street in East Oakland at about 6:15 p.m. Thursday.
"This was a young man who was a good kid," Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong said after consoling relatives and friends of the victim at the scene.
"When you have a 16-year-old child that is gunned down in broad daylight, it's alarming, it's concerning, it's hurtful," the chief said.
A witness told KTVU the shooter fired numerous shots from a car.
Ki'yehz, who was a student at Hayward High School, was shot in the head and died at the scene.
"We cannot allow people to engage in this type of violent behavior remain in our community," Armstrong said.
Ki'yehz's grandfather lives near the crime scene. He told KTVU on Friday that he's sickened by the violence.
"All he wanted to do was just go to school," he said. "As long as you're killing one another, it's senseless. If we can just get and love one another, and stop killing one another."
16-year-old boy killed in Oakland shooting, family says cousin injured
A 16-year-old boy was shot and killed in Oakland Thursday evening, according to police. The investigation is in its early stages. Another person was injured in the shooting. Family members say the shooting victims were cousins. An eyewitness said he saw a black Acura pull up as the victims walked along the sidewalk; that's when gunfire rang out. No arrests have been made.
At Hayward High, classmates and staff were in shock while also taking final exams. Extra counselors were sent to the campus.
In a statement to KTVU, Hayward Unified School District spokesman Michael Bazeley said in part, "Ki'yehz was a very well-liked young man by both teachers and students, and it's a very emotional day at Hayward High. Schools are tight-knit communities, and tragedies such as this are felt widely."
The shooting happened in Oakland City Councilmember Loren Taylor's district.
"When we are looking at a young person, it's even that much more devastating, because there's so much life, so much potential that gets snuffed out," Taylor said.
"The high-powered rifle, the number of rounds that can be unloaded in a short period of time, there is no reason for that level of firepower on our streets," he said.