Arrests Made in Bayfair Center Shooting

San Leandro police Thursday announced the arrest of an Oakland man and a minor in connection with a shooting last week at the Bayfair Center mall. Oakland resident James Williams, 22, and a minor are thought to have been responsible for an exchange of gunfire between a group of males in the shopping center’s parking lot and a male in a vehicle that occurred around 6:40 p.m. on Jan. 14, police said Thursday.

No injuries were reported in the shooting, which occurred near the Old Navy and Bed Bath and Beyond stores, and the suspects all fled the scene on foot, police said. Working with security videos and witness statements in conjunction with Oakland police, investigators determined the incident was gang related and identified the two suspects as allegedly belonging to two different East Oakland gangs.

On Wednesday morning, police spotted Williams at the San Leandro BART station and took him into custody on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon. When they executed a search warrant at his home in Oakland, where Williams lives with his cousin, 29-year-old Andre Winn, they found three handguns, a sawed-off shotgun, and an assault rifle, as well as several high-capacity 30-round pistol magazines and ammunition.

While he was not involved in the shooting, Winn was arrested on suspicion of several gun-related charges including being an ex-felon in possession of firearms. Police recognized two additional suspects, both minors, on Thursday afternoon in the area of Bancroft Ave. and 80th Ave. in Oakland, and took them into custody. One was found to be armed with a loaded .40 caliber semi-automatic pistol with a 30-round high-capacity magazine. Police now believe Williams and one of the minors were responsible for the shooting, and both are being held on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon, firearm-related charges and criminal street gang enhancements.

While police detained two men that ran from the area of the shooting last week, they were later found to be only witnesses. One of those men was arrested on an unrelated warrant while the other was released.

Related:

• Two Detained After Shots Fired Outside Bayfair Center

By Bay City News

Photos courtesy San Leandro Police