Six dead in shooting at Oakland university; suspect arrested in Alameda




OAKLAND -- Witnesses described a panicked scene after a shooting suspect opened fire in a classroom at an East Oakland private university Monday morning, killing at least six and wounding several more.

Police would not confirm the total number of casualties from the shooting at Oikos University on Edgewater Drive, but said that a suspect had been arrested at Alameda's South Shore Center.

A witness to the suspect's arrest, outside Safeway, said he was calm as police took him into custody. Lisa Resler, 41, said she was leaving the Alameda store with her daughter when she saw a young Asian man with a beanie being confronted by store security. She described him as being "very sedated" as he was handcuffed.

the shooting, which erupted at 10:23 a.m., people fled the building, located in business park area near the Oakland airport.

Some of the wounded were treated at the scene by emergency crews, others taken away by ambulances and at least four of the dead were covered with tarps on a grassy area near the school. Other students and staff of the school were evacuated by SWAT officers from the building at 7850 Edgewater Drive after the shooting.

Some witnesses outside the school when it happened said that a victim who had fled the building told them the shooter was in the classroom, stood up and shot another student in the chest, and then opened fire on the rest of the classroom.

Students and teachers throughout the building
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heard the shots, said Lucas Garcia, who has taught English at Oikos for three years.

"We heard many gunshots," he said. "Everybody was scared, obviously."

Students panicked and ran from the building when the shooting started, said Nam Gong Kyun, a 52-year-old English student from Korea.

The school offers degrees in religious, musical and nursing fields, according to its website.

Pastor Jong Kim, who founded the school about 10 years ago, said the shooter had previously been a nursing student at Oikos but was no longer enrolled. He was unsure whether the shooter had been expelled or dropped out voluntarily.

Kim did not see the shooting but heard about 30 gunshots. "I stayed in my office," he said, imitating the sound of rapid shots.

A man who requested anonymity who works in information technology for the Superior Court of California, with offices just across from the shooting scene, said, "A few people inside (our building) heard shots, and then there was a huge crowd outside."

PHOTOS




Victims lay on the ground following shooting at the Oikos University on Edgewater Dr. in Oakland, Calif. on Monday, April 2, 2012 as Oakland police perform their investigation. Five people were shot and killed and several hurt at the scene of a mass shooting at the Christian university.



A SWAT team from the Oakland Police Department leave the scene of a shooting at the Oikos University on Edgewater Dr. in Oakland, Calif. on Monday, April 2, 2012. Six people were shot and killed and three were wounded at the scene of a mass shooting at the Christian university.




Oakland police investigate a shooting at the Oikos University on Edgewater Dr. in Oakland, Calif. on Monday, April 2, 2012 as victims are covered in tarps. Five people were shot and killed and several hurt at the scene of a mass shooting at the Christian university



Oakland fire department work the scene of a shooting at the Oikos University on Edgewater Dr. in Oakland, Calif. on Monday, April 2, 2012. Six people were shot and killed and several wounded at the scene of a mass shooting at the Christian university



Paramedics work the scene of a shooting at the Oikos University on Edgewater Dr. in Oakland, Calif. on Monday, April 2, 2012. Six people were shot and killed and three were wounded at the scene of a mass shooting at the Christian university



A SWAT team from the Oakland Police Department leave the scene of a shooting on an armored truck at the Oikos University on Edgewater Dr. in Oakland, Calif. on Monday, April 2, 2012. Six people were shot and killed and three were wounded at the scene of a mass shooting at the Christian university



A SWAT team from the Oakland Police Department leave the scene of a shooting at the Oikos University on Edgewater Dr. in Oakland, Calif. on Monday, April 2, 2012. Six people were shot and killed and three were wounded at the scene of a mass shooting at the Christian university.



Police surround Oikos University on Edgewater Drive in Oakland on Monday. Five people have been killed and several hurt in a shooting this morning at the Christian university in East Oakland, authorities said.



A member of the Oakland Police Department works the scene of a shooting at the Oikos University on Edgewater Dr. in Oakland, Calif. on Monday, April 2, 2012. Six people were shot and killed and three wounded at the scene of a mass shooting at the Christian university



Oakland Fire Department members gather at the scene of a shooting at the Oikos University on Edgewater Dr. in Oakland, Calif. on Monday, April 2, 2012. Six people were shot and killed and three wounded at the scene of a mass shooting at the Christian university



Emergency personnel work the scene of a shooting at the Oikos University on Edgewater Dr. in Oakland, Calif. on Monday, April 2, 2012. Six people were shot and killed and three wounded at the scene of a mass shooting at the Christian university.



An unidentified woman is comforted outside Okio University while she talks to an Oakland police officer with the word "Negotiator" written on her back in Oakland following a shooting on Monday April 2, 2012.



A paramedic walks a young man away from Okios University in Oakland following a shooting there on Monday April 2, 2012



Okios University in Oakland was the site of a shooting on Monday April 2, 2012.



Emergency workers tend to a woman outside Oikos University on Edgewater Drive in Oakland on Monday. Five people have been killed and several hurt in a shooting this morning at the Christian university in East Oakland, authorities said



Police surround Oikos University on Edgewater Drive in Oakland on Monday. Five people have been killed and several hurt in a shooting this morning at the Christian university in East Oakland, authorities said



Emergency workers respond at Oikos University on Edgewater Drive in Oakland on Monday. Five people have been killed and several hurt in a shooting this morning at the Christian university in East Oakland, authorities said



Bodies lie covered on the grass as Oakland Police work near Oikos University in Oakland on Monday, April 2, 2012. A suspect was detained Monday in a shooting attack at a California Christian university that sources said has left at least five people dead




An Oakland police officer approaches the entrance to Oikos University in Oakland on Monday, April 2, 2012. A suspect was detained Monday in a shooting attack at a California Christian university that sources said has left at least five people dead.



This image taken with a cell phone shows the early moments of the scene outside of Oikos University in Oakland on Monday, April 2, 2012. Police surrounded the Christian university in search of a gunman who reportedly opened fire Monday morning, killing at least five people, authorities said.

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