2021 was a difficult year for the Oakland Police Department. As the year wrapped up, the city saw 134 homicides, the most since 2012. There was also a 21% increase in shooting incidents.
And this year has started off with more of the same, with a man shot and killed Saturday night in the city's first shooting death of the new year, according to reporting by KPIX.
Officers received a call reporting shots fired after 9 p.m. on the 1400 block of 34th Street. A 28-year-old Oakland man suffering gunshot wounds was found at the scene. Despite the presence of medical personnel, he succumbed to his injuries, the station reported.
His identity has yet to be made public while his next of kin are being contacted, according to the station.
To address the rise in violence in the last year, starting January, 48 officers will be reassigned to cover East Oakland, where a disproportionate amount of the violent crime has taken place, according to an OPD press release issued over the weekend.
"This plan will deploy much-needed resources to a part of our community that experiences the majority of violent crime and priority calls for service," the release stated. "This deployment reinforces our commitment to responding to community calls for help."
The Oakland Police Department did not respond to KCBS Radio's request for comment at the time of publication.
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