OAKLAND, California --
Police are looking for the shooter who allegedly opened fire into a nightspot with an assault rifle, killing two and wounding four others near downtown Oakland early Monday.
The shootings happened shortly before 1 a.m. at Sweet Jimmie's near the city's popular Jack London Square and about four blocks from the Oakland Police department's downtown headquarters.
Police are looking for four men believed to be in their late teens or early 20s, said Cynthia Perkins, a police spokeswoman, outside the lounge Monday afternoon.
Police said one of the men walked in and opened fire inside the lounge that had about 10 to 15 people inside. Perkins said she could not confirm that the shooting occurred after the men were denied admittance.
Two other men who were shot remain hospitalized in critical condition and two women suffered non-life threatening injuries from their wounds, Perkins said.
"It appears to be an indiscriminate shooting," Perkins said. "This is an anomaly to happen (near) downtown."
Situated between a Japanese restaurant and burger joint, Sweet Jimmie's recently began operating under new ownership. Its doors were locked on Monday.
About an hour after the lounge shootings, another man was shot in the leg shortly after leaving a nightclub two blocks away.
No arrests have been made as police believe both incidents are unrelated and remain under investigation.
Oakland Mayor Jean Quan said in a statement Monday that she finds the shootings "tragic and troubling."
While overall crime in Oakland is down 12 percent, there have been 37 homicides so far this year compared to 30 at this time last year.
Quan said Monday's shootings are "a high priority" and there will be an increased police presence in the area.
In September, four men suffered non-life threatening wounds after an early drive-by shooting outside a chicken and waffles restaurant in Jack London Square. No arrests were made.
Ben Delaney, president of the board of the Jack London District Association, said Monday that he sees the shootings as a symptom of a bigger predicament.
"We don't have enough cops, and we have too many damn guns on the streets," Delaney said. "I don't know if there's a simple solution to a much larger issue."
