A bullet discovered Saturday in a second-floor jury room in the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in downtown Oakland appears to be a stray bullet from a street shooting and not directed at the courthouse or courthouse staff.
The bullet likely went through a second-floor window on Friday night or Saturday morning, when the courthouse was unoccupied, said Deputy U.S. Marshal Joseph Palmer. The bullet hole was not there when the courthouse closed Friday evening, Palmer said.
“The incident is currently under investigation by the U.S. Marshals and the Oakland Police Department,” said Don O’Keefe, U.S. Marshal for the Northern District of California, in a statement. “At this point, it appears that this was a stray bullet, and it does not appear that the courthouse, any federal judges or members of the court family were specifically targeted.”
There were shots fired in the vicinity of the courthouse Friday night, Palmer said.
“The security of federal judges and court staff remain a top priority for the U.S. Marshals, and we will continue to work alongside the courts to determine if any additional security is needed,” O’Keefe said.
Drew Himmelstein, Bay City News
