Oakland police last week charged a 23-year-old man in connection to the Juneteenth shootout at Lake Merritt that injured 14 people.
JaJuan Kelly, who was among those wounded in the Juneteenth shooting, was charged with four counts of assault for shooting four of the victims with a semi-automatic firearm. Kelly was also charged with possessing a firearm and ammunition as a convicted felon.
The shooting began at around 8:45 p.m. on June 19 along the northern side of Lake Merritt where a crowd of roughly 2,000 people gathered for an unsanctioned Juneteenth event.
The peaceful gathering grew violent after a group of dirt bikes, ATVs, and cars took over the nearby intersection at Bellevue Avenue, prompting fights to break out between two groups of people who exchanged gunfire. Four people, including JaJuan Kelly, opened fire, injuring 14 men and women between the ages of 20 and 30.
Kelly was shot twice in the left leg and thigh before being abandoned by his companions. He was surrounded by a hostile crowd that prevented police officers from tending to the wounded, according to court documents.
During the fracas that followed, at least two police officers were physically attacked by the crowd, prompting the officers to call for backup.
Police determined that the gun Kelly used in the shootout was taken from the scene by a woman in the crowd. A second loaded firearm was found stuffed in Kelly’s underwear while the officers were tending to his injuries.
Kelly was arraigned in an Oakland courtroom on July 3 and the judge set a bail hearing for July 9.
Kelly’s attorney told reporters following the arraignment that his client fired in self-defense.
Attorney Ernie Castillo noted that since the shooting, Kelly has undergone several surgeries and the defense would request bail so he is available to undergo additional medical procedures.
