Police are on the scene investigating a shooting that damaged a parked vehicle in northwest Berkeley on Saturday afternoon.
Multiple callers told police they heard numerous gunshots just after 4:20 p.m., Lt. Melanie Turner told Berkeleyside. Responding officers found evidence of gunfire on Francisco Street between San Pablo Avenue and Curtis Street in the Westbrae neighborhood.
Turner said one person was seen running from the area on foot, from Francisco onto Curtis, just after the shooting.
Callers told police they heard four or five gunshots and police found numerous casings at the scene, Turner said. Police also found bullet holes in a white sedan, and believe there were people inside the car when the gunfire broke out.
After the shooting, BPD closed Francisco Street to vehicle and pedestrian traffic so they could investigate the scene, Turner said. As of publication time, the block was still closed, but work was expected to wrap up soon.
Shootings have been on the rise in Berkeley since 2018: There have already been more than twice as many shootings this year as there were in 2020. Berkeley has had at least 15 confirmed gunfire calls in 2021.
On Friday night, a patron who had been thrown out of Cornerstone bar in downtown Berkeley came back with a gun and shot into the air outside. That investigation is ongoing.