Shootings rattle South Oakland neighborhood

May 23 was a quiet Monday night in South Oakland for Ginger McCall, until she heard a series… May 23 was a quiet Monday night in South Oakland for Ginger McCall, until she heard a series of quick pops at about 10 p.m.

“I actually thought it was gunfire,” she said. “I asked my roommate and he said it sounded more like fireworks.”

McCall, a recent Pitt alumna, added that her roommate had heard similar sounds earlier in the day, so she dismissed the sound, chalking it up to someone celebrating Memorial Day early.

A few days later, McCall’s suspicions were confirmed; there had been several shootings just a half of a block away from her Oakland Court home throughout the day.

Commander Tom Stangrecki, of the city police’s Zone 4, which includes Oakland and South Oakland, said three homes within a three-block radius were under fire that day. The first incident occurred about 1:20 p.m. on Ward Street, where one individual suffered minor injuries. Stangrecki said another shooting had taken place near that location in early March.

A second shooting occurred on Frazier Street at approximately 10:15 p.m., followed by another on Dawson Street just minutes later.

Stangrecki said yesterday that there are no current suspects, but Pittsburgh Police do believe a group calling themselves the “South Oakland Crips” may be responsible. Members of the group have been arrested in recent months for bank robberies and in connection with other shootings.

Pitt Police Chief Tim Delaney said that in spite of the recent shootings, Pitt students have no additional cause for alarm.

“These recent crimes have targeted specific people and specific properties,” he said.

Stangrecki agreed, saying that the shootings weren’t random and that the shooters aren’t targeting the other members of the neighborhood.

“They were targeting other families,” he added. “It was possibly rivals in the neighborhood.”

Stangrecki added that the neighborhood is usually considered one of the safer areas of Oakland, filled with families and an older population.

“It’s considered one of the safe places,” he continued. “They only target certain areas and certain houses in the Frazier Street area.

“It’s an area that is a neighborhood in itself. The problem is when people are doing illegal activities, they can’t report [another crime that happens while doing it].”

Pitt Police are maintaining the same level of patrol they normally have during the summer, when there is less student activity.

Delaney said that his advice for students who are still in Oakland is the same as that which he would offer any other time of year.

“Use common sense,” he said. “If you’re out looking for trouble at 2 or 3 in the morning, you’re gong to find it, and some of these burglaries are crimes of opportunity.”

He said that with the nicer weather, students are likely to leave windows and doors open, inadvertently inviting burglars to take what they want.

McCall agreed with Delaney’s summation of the type of neighborhood she lives in.

“That is why it surprised me,” she said. “I live between two older, retired couples. I had no idea it was dangerous around here. It’s very quiet. The people are nice and friendly. Yes, you see drug deals, but not this.”

Anyone with additional information concerning the shootings is asked to contact Zone 4 Police at (412) 422-6520.