1-year-old boy, father killed by gunfire in Oakland

NBC Bay Area - A 1-year-old boy was gunned down Wednesday morning in Oakland.

NBC Bay Area – Three weeks after an 8-year-old Oakland girl was shot to death at a slumber party, a 1-year-old boy was gunned down Wednesday morning, earning him the newest, and most unfortunate, ranking of becoming the city’s youngest homicide victim of the year.

The 1-year-old, who relatives were calling “Baby Drew,” was pronounced dead at Children’s Hospital, and his 20-year-old father died at the scene. No one was arrested and why the two were killed was unclear.

Konya Baylis, 33, the boy’s great aunt, told NBC Bay Area off-camera the toddler’s name was Drew Jackson and his father was Andrew Thomas of Fresno. Relatives said that  Thomas was in town for the funeral service a few days ago of another homicide victim – his cousin, 18-year-old Alquino Rivera, killed Saturday in the 800 block of Ney Avenue. Bey wondered aloud if the double homicide was related to Rivera’s death.

Police have not commented on this possible connection.

Oakland police spokeswoman Johnna Watson said police were called out about 2:45 a.m. in the 400 block of Ghormley Avenue in the Brookfield Village neighborhood of East Oakland after hearing reports of gunfire. They found the young father and baby suffering from gunshot wounds inside the house. Paramedics rushed in to try to save them, to no avail.

“This is incredulous that people are shooting and killing kids in their sleep,” Watson said.

Witnesses on scene told NBC Bay Area they heard six to eight bullets fired from the back of the house, which is near the 98th Street exit of Interstate Highway 880. Relatives said there was a house full of other people, including children when the gunfire rang out.

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