ALBANY — Two people were dead after a man apparently entered a vehicle service center, shot and killed a female employee, and then was himself killed by police called in response, authorities said.
Neither person was immediately identified. No other injuries were reported.
The shooting occurred Thursday morning at the Berkeley Toyota service center at 1025 Eastshore Highway, inside the Albany city limits. Both Albany and Berkeley police responded to the initial 11:14 am calls.
Inside the service center, police found the employee who had been shot and confronted the man who was believed to have shot her, according to sheriff’s Lt. Tya Modeste, who made a joint statement on behalf of the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office, Berkeley and Albany police.
Berkeley police fired their weapons, Modeste said, striking the man an undisclosed number of times. He was pronounced dead at the service center.
Modeste said at least five Berkeley officers had been sequestered after the shooting.
Police did not immediately disclose any possible relation between the two people who were killed. Investigators were still probing the scene Thursday afternoon.
“Things happen rapidly, we need to sort a lot of it out,” Modeste said.
Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguín said in a statement that Berkeley officers had responded to a mutual-aid request from Albany police on an active-shooter situation.
The shooting prompted a huge police response to the area, which includes Target and other businesses along Interstate 80. A portion of Interstate 80, which abuts the retail property, was closed and police urged people to avoid the area as they confirmed that there was no additional threat.
Because the shooting happened within Albany city limits, that city’s police department brought in the Alameda County Sheriff’s Office to help investigate. According to protocol, Berkeley police also opened an administrative investigation.
In a statement, Arreguin extended gratitude to the city’s police officers and condolences to the familly of the victim. He added that “the number of guns on our streets continues to pose an unacceptable threat to our community and the many women and men who go to work every day to protect us.”
