Police said several people were detained after gunfire erupted early Saturday at EZ’s Lounge on 14th Street.
OAKLAND, Calif. — Two people were killed and five others were injured after a shooting early Saturday at a downtown Oakland bar, where police said officers arrived just after 3:30 a.m. and found seven victims on the 400 block of 14th Street.
The shooting unfolded at EZ’s Lounge, according to local reports, and quickly drew a large police response in one of Oakland’s busiest nightlife areas. A 33-year-old woman died at the scene, and a 25-year-old man later died at a hospital. Police said the names of the dead were not immediately released. Investigators also said multiple people were detained and several firearms were recovered, but authorities had not announced arrests or a motive by Saturday.
Officers were called to the block shortly after reports of gunfire and found the victims wounded outside and around the bar area, police said. Officers gave medical aid until paramedics arrived. As the scene widened, yellow tape blocked off part of 14th Street while investigators moved between the sidewalk, nearby storefronts and the entrance to the bar. The shooting came after a busy Friday night in downtown Oakland, when crowds had gathered in the area for First Fridays events earlier in the evening. By daybreak, police vehicles and emergency crews still lined the street as investigators worked to piece together what happened in the final hours before sunrise.
A tattoo artist who goes by Kuzi, and who was working a few doors away, said the chaos hit all at once. “I didn’t even hear the gun shots, I just heard like 100 people running,” he said, describing people crying and screaming as the street filled with confusion. His account matched the kind of sudden rush that often follows violence in crowded nightlife districts, where witnesses may not immediately understand what triggered the panic. Police did not publicly say Saturday whether the gunfire started inside the bar, outside it, or during an argument involving specific people. Authorities also did not say how many shooters may have been involved, even as they confirmed officers recovered several guns at the scene.
By Saturday afternoon, police said at least three of the five surviving victims had been treated and were in stable condition. Officials did not publicly describe the conditions of the other two injured people beyond confirming they had been shot. The identities of all seven victims were withheld as the investigation continued. Authorities did not say whether all of the wounded had been patrons of the bar or whether some were bystanders nearby when the shots were fired. That left several of the central questions unresolved: who opened fire, whether the shooting was targeted, and whether any of the people struck had any role in the dispute that led to the violence.
The attack landed in a part of downtown Oakland where bars, small businesses and late-night foot traffic often overlap, especially on event nights. The block sits near City Hall and other civic buildings, a stretch that has seen renewed nightlife activity but also recurring worries from merchants about street violence and customer safety. Business owners on the block said the shooting threatened more than a single night of commerce. It raised fresh concerns about whether customers and workers will feel secure returning after dark. For downtown businesses trying to hold onto momentum, the timing was especially painful because it came after a night that had drawn crowds into the neighborhood.
Alison Campbell, owner of the nearby gym Truve, said she was shaken when she learned what had happened outside. “It’s alarming,” Campbell said, adding that she contacted her landlord because the violence was “not good for my business” and “not good for Oakland.” Her comments reflected a broader anxiety often voiced by downtown merchants after high-profile shootings: that even incidents tied to a single location can cast a shadow over an entire district. On Saturday, police had not released details showing whether any nearby businesses were damaged by gunfire, but the emotional effect on people who work on the block was already clear in witness accounts and conversations with neighbors.
The investigation was assigned to the Oakland Police Department’s homicide unit, which asked anyone with information, video or photos to come forward. Police did not announce charges Saturday, and no court filings tied to the shooting had been publicly detailed by the end of the day. For now, the case remained at the evidence-gathering stage, with detectives expected to review surveillance footage, interview witnesses and trace the firearms recovered at the scene. The next major update is likely to come when police identify the dead, clarify whether any of those detained were arrested, and explain how the shooting began.
The block was quieter by daylight, but the aftermath remained visible in the police tape, the closed-off sidewalk and the shaken voices of people who had been nearby. For residents, workers and business owners, Saturday brought another round of grief and uncertainty in a city still trying to build confidence in its downtown core.
Author note: Last updated March 8, 2026.