A shooting in which one federal security officer was killed and another critically wounded during protests Friday night in downtown Oakland was an act of domestic terrorism, according to federal authorities.
Department of Homeland Security officials said at a press conference Saturday that the two federal protective officers were targeted by an “assassin” outside the Ronald V. Deullums Federal Building.
Oakland police, who are assisting the FBI in the investigation, tweeted a statement on Friday night saying that the shooting appeared to be unrelated to the protest over the police killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis. The department’s public information office later deleted the tweet. Oakland police now are not ruling out the possibility of a connection.
“Our intentions were to update it,” Oakland police spokeswoman Officer Johnna Watson said. “After more clarification, it was unknown at the time if it was related or not.”
The shooting happened at the intersection of 12th and Jefferson streets outside the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building around 9:45 p.m. Friday, near a guard shelter at the entrance to the building’s parking garage.
Authorities say someone fired multiple shots from a vehicle at the two contract security officers for the Federal Protective Service of the Department of Homeland Security.
Investigators have not said whether any arrests have been made in the shooting, nor have they released a description of any suspects or the vehicle that was involved. Federal authorities have not detailed what they believe motivated the shooting.
Acting Secretary of Homeland Security Chad Wolf said the officers were contract workers there to guard federal buildings during the downtown demonstration.
“As of late we have witnessed an outright assault on our law enforcement community,” Wolf said at a press conference Saturday. “Last night in Oakland, California, an assassin cowardly shot two federal protective service contractors as they stood watch over a protest.”
Wolf said the surviving officer is in critical condition. Neither of the security officers has been publicly identified.
“Any loss in the DHS family impacts all of us and I want the loved one of these brave officers to know you have the support of the department behind you,” Wolf said.
“When someone targets a police officer or a police station with an intention to do harm and intimidate, that is an act of domestic terrorism,” said Ken Cuccinelli, acting deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.
Thousands of people attended the Oakland demonstration Friday night, which turned chaotic and violent as the night went on, as police fired tear gas and demonstrators smashed windows and looted stores. Around the time of the shooting, the protest had moved to 14th and Broadway, where vandals broke into Chase Bank and looted Walgreens, about three blocks from the guard booth.
1 federal guard was killed, another wounded at this security shack outside Oakland’s federal building last night. You can see the bullet holes. pic.twitter.com/rwwPSVsEaa
— David DeBolt (@daviddebolt) May 30, 2020
