Berkeley police are investigating a report of gunfire between at least two people at 62nd and King streets, near the Oakland border, Wednesday evening, authorities say.
Some parked vehicles were struck during the exchange but police do not believe anyone was wounded, said Lt. Dave Lindenau of the Berkeley Police Department.
BPD got the call about gunfire in South Berkeley, at 62nd and King, just before 6:40 p.m. One woman told Berkeleyside two vehicles on her block of 62nd Street were damaged by gunfire. Callers told BPD 10-15 gunshots were heard, according to unconfirmed police radio traffic reviewed by Berkeleyside.
Lindenau said, based on the preliminary investigation, there was “some kind of gun battle” between one person standing at 62nd and King and someone in a vehicle — possibly a black Gig carshare vehicle — west of that person. Police believe the Gig car may have been struck by gunfire, Lindenau said.
A driver who happened to be heading east, toward the area of the shooting when it took place, also sustained damage to his or her vehicle after reversing to get out of the area, Lindenau said.
Police stopped a black Gig vehicle in the area just after the shooting but officers later determined it had not been involved, Lindenau said.
There have been an estimated 10 confirmed gunfire reports in Berkeley in 2019, according to an unofficial tally from Berkeleyside. Berkeley PD says it is working to compile an official list. A map of the known incidents appears below.
In late January, Berkeley police also responded to King and 62nd streets after getting early-morning reports of gunfire in the area. Police found bullet casings in the 1600 block of 62nd, but no victims.
Friday, a man was fatally shot in People’s Park. The case, handled by the University of California Police Department, was Berkeley’s first homicide of the year. An arrest has been made in that case.
Police ask anyone with information about these incidents to call BPD’s Homicide Detail at 510-981-5741.
