Law enforcement is investigating reports of gunfire near the UC Berkeley campus that occurred in the early hours of Saturday morning, as first reported by The Scanner. The reports began when a community member informed a police officer around 12:10 a.m. about seeing someone discharging a firearm into the air. Subsequent notifications of additional gunshots came in, with UC Berkeley's ShotSpotter system detecting the sounds near various campus locations.
Despite the widespread nature of the gunfire, which seemed to be focused around the 2200 blocks of Bancroft Way, Fulton Street, and University Avenue, no casualties have been reported so far. The University of California Police Department also confirmed the ShotSpotter activations via The Scanner, which issued a WarnMe alert that indicated the shots were detected "south of the UC campus, moving westbound away from campus" around 12:20 a.m. A witness claimed to have heard four shots, based on emergency radio traffic.
Berkeley authorities stated over the radio that they recovered potential evidence of gunfire at Fulton and Kittredge streets, among other places, one location being Blackwell Hall at 2401 Durant Ave, where a bullet seemed to have penetrated the drywall. KRON4 also reported a WarnMe alert advising people to steer clear of Haste Street, Telegraph Avenue, surrounding 2299 Bancroft, 2223 Fulton Ave, and the 2200 block of University due to the incident.
Following the events, both Berkeley police and UC Berkeley police were dispatched to the scene and are said to have found evidence at multiple sites. The investigation into the shootings is still underway, and despite the alarming situation, there were no immediate reports of injuries or fatalities. This year Berkeley has experienced a series of shootings, totaling 24 as of yesterday, with the incidents leaving three individuals dead and seven others injured.
