Two young girls who survived an East Oakland shooting told a courtroom this week that they watched a man allegedly gun down his girlfriend and her 13-year-old daughter, describing a chaotic scene of screams and flying bullets. One girl testified that the man screamed like a maniac as shots rang through the apartment. Their testimony came during pretrial proceedings for 49-year-old Antonio Powell and has forced relatives and neighbors to relive a night they have tried hard to forget. Prosecutors say the children’s accounts will help establish the timeline of events before the case goes to trial.
Courtroom testimony forces survivors to relive the night
At a preliminary hearing in January, the girls who were inside the home described frantic screaming, panicked runs through the hallway, and the alleged shooter firing at people in the apartment, according to The Mercury News. One witness said the gun was pointed at her, but did not fire after she begged for her life. Family members told the paper that a 1-year-old was in the room when the mother was killed and that another child who was visiting was wounded.
What the police say happened on April 22, 2023
Oakland police say officers were called shortly after 11 PM on April 22, 2023, to an apartment on the 9500 block of Birch Street, where they found two people fatally shot and a third person injured, as reported by SFGATE. The victims were later identified as 44-year-old Rebecca Jenkins and her 13-year-old daughter, Desiree, and a visiting friend was taken to UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland for treatment. Officers arrested a suspect at the scene, and investigators later referred the case to the Alameda County District Attorney's Office for charges.
Charges and court status
The Alameda County District Attorney's Office has filed counts that include two murders, felony assault, and multiple child-abuse charges, and prosecutors say Powell faces 110 years to life if convicted on all counts, per the San Francisco Chronicle. Court records and recent reporting indicate Powell pleaded not guilty earlier this month, and a judge held him to answer after the January preliminary hearing, according to local coverage. He remains in custody as the case moves toward trial.
Family and neighborhood response
Relatives and neighbors described a wave of shock and grief after the killings, and one sibling who was at home that night told reporters she heard multiple gunshots, then saw the aftermath, according to KTVU. The Oakland Unified School District said it provided behavioral-health support for students affected by the deaths. A community fundraiser and statements from relatives have underscored the long and difficult recovery ahead for the surviving children.
Why the hearing matters
Prosecutors say witness accounts from the children who were in the apartment are central to moving the case to trial in what the District Attorney's Office has called a "horrific example of gun violence," and judges will weigh how admissible and reliable that testimony is in upcoming hearings, as noted by the San Francisco Chronicle. The case has also highlighted questions about the defendant's prior parole status and domestic-violence history that prosecutors have cited in court filings.
