Font ResizeOAKLAND — Kennah Wilson, 18, was seven months pregnant and excited about becoming a new mother. She already knew she would name her baby girl Kamilah Donyea and had selected the color scheme for her upcoming baby shower.
On Friday evening Wilson was outside her East Oakland apartment, telling friends and neighbors to save the date for her Oct. 12 baby shower, when gunmen opened fire on the group.
There, in front of the building in the 8200 block of MacArthur Boulevard and where about 30 other people were standing, Wilson's hopes for a happy life for herself and her baby were suddenly cut short. Both died as a result of the shooting.
Police are classifying the deaths as homicides, bringing the total to 94 in Oakland this year.
Four other people were wounded in the shooting — two 15-year-old boys, a 20-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman. All live in Oakland and police were not sure if any of them were related.
Lead investigator Sgt. Lou Cruz on Saturday called the carnage "a devastating act of violence," adding it was fortunate no one else was injured.
That same block of MacArthur Boulevard had been the site of previous deadly shootings, police said.
On June 30, 24-year-old Zaire Washington was shot to death on the street outside the same apartment building. That shooting was close to where Shaneice Davis, 21, was fatally wounded by an errant bullet as she slept in her apartment in April. She was hit by
No arrests have been made in either of those cases and police are still trying to determine if those shootings and Friday night's are somehow related.
"For a long time she thought she was going to have a boy,'' said Wilson's older sister, Jermira Spears, 31. "She was still happy about having the baby and had baby clothes, bibs, bottles and Pampers all over the house.''
Spears said the baby's 19-year-old father was thrilled about having a new daughter and he had planned to get a tattoo with her name.
The shooting happened about 10:15 p.m. with 30 to 40 people were standing in front of the apartment building, police said.
Cruz said at least two gunmen opened fire on the group, apparently without warning.
The group scattered but Wilson was found at the scene. Two of the injured people were found by a sheriff's deputy on nearby Golf Links Road and two others were taken by others to local hospitals. Two of the wounded are in critical condition but police declined to identify them.
According to Wilson's family members, doctors tried but were unable to save Wilson and her baby at the hospital. Her baby was alive but died after 31 minutes, Spears said.
Wilson's relatives and friends say she was well liked in the community. They said she was loud, energetic and had a fun personality.
"She talked so loud you could hear her all the way from Eastmont mall or from the other end of the street," Spears said jokingly of her sister.
Wilson graduated from Rudsdale Continuation School and had dreams of becoming a fashion designer or a hairstylist. She owned the latest pair of Jordan sneakers and kept up with all the fashion trends and hairstyles.
On Saturday, residents stood outside the building, looking at the parked cars and structures hit by gunfire. Some children wheeled by the area on their scraper bikes. And others looked devastated as they stared at stains of Wilson's blood on the sidewalk.
Cruz, who is investigating the case with Sgt. Caesar Basa, said police "have no idea of a motive so far" for the blatant, deliberate act.
People who heard the gunshots said the noise made a popping sound like "firecrackers."
Cruz said the gunmen knew they were firing at a large group "and it was obvious they didn't care who they hit."
He said there is no way to measure the impact from such violence, not only on the families of the victims but the community as well.
Shaneice Davis' sister and Zaire Washington's mother were on hand and consoled Wilson's relatives. Washington's mother said the violence has to stop.
Senseless killings throughout Oakland are destroying neighborhoods block by block — and residents say 82nd Avenue and MacArthur Boulevard is a hot spot.
"It's easier now to get a gun than a job,'' Spears said.
Recently, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums tapped Arnold Perkins, former director of the Alameda County Public Health Department, to complete a public safety program that has been in the works for months.
Cruz appealed to the community for help in finding the suspects.
"There are folks who know who did this." he said. "These lives have to count for something. The killers can't go unchecked. There has to be an accounting for this. The only way to prevent them from doing this again is to find them."
Police and Crime Stoppers of Oakland are offering up to $40,000 in reward money for information leading to the arrest of the killer or killers. Anyone with information is asked to call police at 510-238-3821 or Crime Stoppers at 510-777-3211 or 510-777-8572.
