Black boys and young men make up 48% of gun homicide victims in Alameda County, report finds

Gun violence in Alameda County killed on average three people and wounded 12 every week between 2019 and 2023, according to a new report from the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office.

Published Wednesday by outgoing DA Pamela Price, it’s the first report from the District Attorney’s Office since 2018 to focus on the impacts of gun violence in Alameda County. The previous report, commissioned by former DA Nancy O’Malley, was never made publicly available, a spokesperson for Price told The Oaklandside.

“There is no other disease or injury in Alameda County that displays such stark disparities in race and ethnicity as the epidemic of gun violence,” Price said during a news conference in downtown Oakland.

The 84-page report attributes the local rise in gun violence to three factors: disruptions to the economy and social services spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic, the rapid increase in gun ownership during that period, and the proliferation of so-called “ghost guns.” Ghost guns do not have serial numbers, either because they are illegally manufactured or because their serial numbers are deliberately removed, and are therefore unregistered and untraceable.

Gun violence includes homicides, suicides, unintentional injuries from a firearm, and police-involved shootings. The DA’s study summarizes trends in firearm-related homicides, suicides, and intimate partner violence; highlights the impacts of pandemic-era gun violence on underserved communities; and promotes solutions such as community-based interventions and educating the public about responsible gun ownership and storage.

“Poverty, gender repression, domestic violence, vulnerability of children, lack of opportunity, and unmet community needs drive high levels of violence in Alameda County,” according to the report. “There is essential, urgent work to be done.”

The District Attorney’s Office produced the report using data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, California Department of Public Health, California Department of Justice, and Alameda County Public Health Department in the report.

Gun violence in Alameda County, by the numbers

The new report describes gun violence as a “critical public health and safety emergency” that disproportionately affects youth in Alameda County.

Gun violence in Alameda County reached a peak in 2022, resulting in 148 deaths, 344 emergency room visits, and 231 hospitalizations for gunshot wounds. Of note, gun violence countywide is not as high as it was in the late 1990s to mid-2000s, according to the study. Since 2006, the gun homicide rate has steadily decreased to a three-decade low, with 61 homicides reported in Alameda County in 2018.From 2019 to 2023, firearms were used in 83% of homicides in Alameda County and in 93% of homicides that killed children and young adults up to the age of 24. For every 100,000 Alameda County residents ages 17 and under, two were killed by gun homicide. For every 100,000 residents ages 18-24, 15 died by firearm homicide.

“When individuals reach their mid-30s the risk for homicide begins to taper off,” the report explains.

When broken down into racial categories, Black people in Alameda County are 28 times more likely than white people to be killed by firearms. Hispanic and Latino people are roughly six times more likely than white people to die by homicide involving a gun, researchers found.

Disparities are even starker among young men in Alameda County.

Black boys and men between ages 15-34 account for 48% of all firearm homicide deaths, despite comprising 5% of the county’s population.

“If current gun homicide rates persist,” the report stated, “a Black male turning 15 today has about a 2% chance of dying by gun homicide before reaching age 35.”

But for gun suicides, racial and age demographics are flipped.

White men ages 50 and older comprise 6% of Alameda County’s population but account for 37% of firearm-related suicides. This may be because older white men are more likely to own firearms, according to the report.

Firearms are the second most common suicide method in Alameda County, according to the report.

Between 2019 and 2023, on average, one Alameda County resident fatally shot themselves every nine days.

If a firearm is not stored properly, children might have access to the weapon and accidentally discharge it, resulting in severe wounds or even death. Among children in Alameda County under age 18, there are an average of seven emergency room visits and five hospitalizations for accidental firearm injuries annually.

Gun violence is concentrated in Oakland

Oakland’s gun homicide rate from 2019 to 2023 was more than twice that of Alameda County. Credit: Amir Aziz

Alameda County’s spike in homicides during the first few years of the COVID-19 pandemic appears to have been mainly driven by homicides in Oakland.

Between 2019 and 2023, Oakland’s firearm homicide rate of 14.4 per 100,000 residents was more than double Alameda County’s rate of 6.7.

The Oakland neighborhoods that experienced the most firearm-related homicides during that period were Elmurst (which includes the East 14th Street Business District), Central East Oakland, West Oakland, and Fruitvale. Researchers found that the life expectancy of someone living in Elmhurst is 12 years shorter than that of a resident in the Oakland Hills.

According to the report, these neighborhoods have historically been the target of racist policies that exacerbated poverty and disinvestment and limited job and education opportunities, thereby increasing the risk of people turning to gun violence.

Alameda County residents in neighborhoods with the highest poverty levels are 12 times more likely to die from homicide than residents in wealthier areas.

Black people, in particular, are 33 times more likely than white people to die by gun homicide.

Domestic violence intersects with gun violence

Disparities in gun violence are also pronounced between genders.

Men account for nearly 90% of gun homicide victims and 85% of firearm-related suicides in Alameda County. Meanwhile, women in Alameda County are disproportionately impacted by intimate partner gun violence.

In an abusive heterosexual relationship, a woman is five times more likely to be killed in a shooting if her male partner has access to guns. Domestic violence incidents involving firearms are 12 times more likely to result in death than incidents involving other weapons or bodily force.

Because it can be difficult to quantify domestic violence, Alameda County established a Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team in 1996. Comprised of clinicians, victims’ advocates, service providers, and other personnel with the Public Health Department and the District Attorney’s Office, the review team identifies domestic violence-related homicides and suicides in the county.

From 2017 to 2022, the review team found 39 homicides associated with domestic violence, 26 of which were female victims. Forty-six percent of those homicides were committed with a firearm.

As an additional means to track domestic violence, the California Department of Justice also reports the number of 911 calls for domestic violence in every county. In 2023, the state DOJ found that Alameda County had 65 calls for domestic violence incidents involving a gun. This is a sharp increase from pre-pandemic levels; in 2019, the county saw 37 calls for domestic violence with a firearm.

However, these numbers are likely an undercount; many people choose not to report intimate partner violence due to a lack of trust in law enforcement, fears that reporting would lead to further violence, and other factors.

Ghost gun recoveries peaked in 2022 but appear to be declining

An empty storefront on MacArthur Boulevard in Oakland was struck by gunfire in a drive-by shooting on New Year’s Day in 2023. Credit: Azucena Rasilla

The use of ghost guns, which are often assembled from parts purchased online to circumvent the state’s strict firearm laws, peaked during the COVID pandemic.

In 2018, Alameda County law enforcement recovered 30 ghost guns from crime scenes. That number rose sharply to 123 in 2019, 199 in 2020, and 446 in 2021.In 2022, 460 firearms — nearly one in four — recovered at crime scenes in Alameda County did not have serial numbers, according to the report. That’s a 1,433% increase from four years prior.

Since then, law enforcement agencies in Alameda County have reported recovering fewer ghost guns. In 2023, they found 354 ghost guns at crime scenes countywide, a 23% drop from the previous year. The report attributes this decline to local, state, and federal laws targeting the sale of “do-it-yourself” ghost gun kits and firearm components without serial numbers.

Editor’s note: If you or someone you know needs help, the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available 24/7 by calling or texting 988. People experiencing domestic violence can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline by calling 800-799-7233 or texting ‘START’ to 88788.