Yesterday (Aug. 30), the Oakland Police Department announced that a shooting at a school was “not a deliberate school shooting.” The incident happened at Madison Park Academy on Monday (Aug. 29). Around 1:30 p.m., a 13-year-old was discovered to be the victim of a gunshot wound caused by a 12-year-old.
According to San Francisco news station KRON 4, the OPD released a statement that read, “Update to the shooting in the 400 block of Capistrano Drive. Evidence shows the incident was not a deliberate school shooting. At this time, it does not appear that the victim was the intended target.” The 13-year-old is said to be in stable condition. Sources say the 12-year-old brought the firearm to the school but did not share what the motive was.
Videos that circulated online showed students at Madison Park Academy evacuating the building after the frightening incident. “Damn. A baby shot another baby in Oakland at Madison Park Academy Middle School today. What in the hell is going on?” one person wrote on Twitter when the news first spread. Yarelin Espinoza, a senior at the school, spoke to the Bay Area News Group about the incident. “It’s really distressing and disappointing — I thought we were making a change in our community. It’s the one place we thought was safe to be around. Turns out, it’s not,” she said.
The senior added, “We hear gunshots almost every day. It’s been going on so much in the community, it’s becoming normalized. It should never have come to this point.” The 12-year-old reportedly fled the scene but was later caught and taken into custody. He was booked at Juvenile Hall on suspicion of assault with a firearm and other weapons charges.
Madison Park Academy reopened yesterday. Oakland Unified School District shared a statement saying, “We are intensely focused on providing the utmost support and security for our students, school staff, and the school community. School and District behavioral health and safety staff will be actively providing support to students and staff on Tuesday and beyond.”