Nine shot at Oakland Halloween party

Bullets hit nine party-goers at a Halloween party in downtown Oakland just after midnight on Sunday, according to several media reports. At 12:01am, a gunman opened fire and hit several bystanders.

Harry Harris at the Oakland Tribune reports that over 600 people attended Saturday night’s Fright Fest at Sweet’s Ballroom in downtown Oakland. According to reports, police say that the gunman targeted one man who was struck in the back with a bullet, and the other victims were innocent bystanders.

No injuries were fatal, and all nine victims are recovering after being hospitalized, reports say. Other than the man who was hit in the back, the injuries were mostly on the victims’ arms and legs.

An unnamed ballroom employee also told Harris that party-goers were searched before entering the event, and it is unknown how the gun got through the party’s security efforts. Police have not identified the gunman, and no reports of arrests have been made. The employee also said that revelers ducked for cover as the gunshots went off, and then fled the event.

The Fright Fest was billed for people 18 years and older as “The Biggest Halloween College Party” in the Bay Area, and was a first time event. Historic Sweet’s Ballroom sits between Oakland’s Fox and Paramount Theaters on Telegraph Avenue.