It was the morning of February 17, 2017, when shots rang out on Las Vegas Avenue. The wave of terror caused police to order a temporary shutdown of a nearby section of I-580, a school to be evacuated and another to go into lockdown.
According to reports, a neighbor initially phoned the police after the suspect had been seen walking down the street with a high-capacity rifle equipped with a scope. The same suspect had been witnessed spray painting eyes on a neighbor’s garage and spray painting a nearby vehicle, as well as shooting at a helicopter. Oakland police, along with innocent passersby, were met with bullets as officers attempted to calm down the gunman. With little other options, police were forced to return fire, hitting the gunman.
No other bystanders or responders were hurt in the melee. The suspect was taken for treatment at an area hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries. There, police learned that the sniper had been UCLA graduate, University of Michigan alum, and founder of Oakland Microsystems, Jesse Enjaian.
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While Enjaian’s motive is still unclear, the SFGate was able to uncover stalking allegations dating back to his University of Michigan days. According to the documents obtained by the SFGate, the victim alleged that Enjaian had owned a gun and had threatened to use it in some sort of “mass homicide” attack.
Additionally, at least one witness has come forward to claim that Enjanian had shot at him two days before the shooting spree. Some news sites have speculated that Enjania’s attacks may have been racially motivated. Police are continuing to investigate what had set off Enjaian’s attack.