A 23-year-old Oakland man, JaJuan Kelly, has been charged with four counts of felony assault with a semiautomatic firearm in connection with a mass shooting at a Juneteenth celebration in the San Francisco Bay Area. The shooting took place during an unsanctioned sideshow following a peaceful event, where 14 people, including Kelly, were shot and wounded on June 19. Initially, it was reported that 15 individuals were shot, but the number was later corrected.
Despite the chaos that ensued at the event, fortunately, no fatalities were reported, and the injured individuals were between 20 to 30 years old. The Alameda County district attorney’s office confirmed the charges against Kelly, and they are still searching for other suspects involved in the incident. District Attorney Pamela Price expressed relief that at least one person has been charged in connection with the shooting.
Ernie Castillo, Kelly’s attorney, proposed the possibility of the incident being an act of self-defense. Juneteenth, celebrated on June 19, marks the day when enslaved individuals in Galveston, Texas, were informed of their freedom in 1865, post the Civil War and two years after the Emancipation Proclamation by President Abraham Lincoln. Juneteenth, acknowledged as a federal holiday in 2021, has gained wider recognition, extending beyond Black America.
