DA Report Details Devastating Toll of Gun Violence in Alameda County

A new report from the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office found that pandemic-era cuts to violence prevention programs were a major factor behind a spike in shootings.

The report outlined the ways that gun violence is both a public safety and a public health concern. It found that, on average, from 2019 to 2023, three people in Alameda County were killed by a firearm every week. An additional 12 were shot and injured each week.

The report also looked at who was more vulnerable to gun violence, including people of color, young adults and children.

“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,” District Attorney Pamela Price said at a press conference on Wednesday.

Although gun violence in Alameda County had shown signs of decreasing since the onset of the pandemic, the 2020 spike was cause for concern, Price said, referring to the spate of shootings as a “pandemic-epidemic phenomenon.”

“Deep structural inequities in poverty, education, and health, and the pressures of a high cost of living, left Alameda County vulnerable to disruptions caused by the pandemic,” the report states. “Communities that already had the least resources were most affected by exposure to the virus, loss of work, and reduced public services — including community violence intervention efforts.”

Programs such as Oakland’s Ceasefire Strategy languished without funding at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Price said organizations like these are critical to addressing the root causes of gun violence.

Often, she said, gun violence stems from violence in the home, such as domestic and intimate partner violence.

“The intersectionality of gender-based violence and gun violence in this community has not been spoken enough about,” Price said. “Before they went to a school or a casino or a nightclub to harm people, they hurt somebody in the house.”

But other gun violence disparities also require attention, Price said, such as the disproportionate impact on young people and racial minorities in Alameda County.

The report outlines that gun violence is the leading cause of death among children and people under the age of 24.

Black, Pacific Islander and Hispanic/Latino residents are also at greater risk of gun violence. For example, the report found that Black residents have a homicide rate by firearm 28 times that of white residents.

While firearm homicide rates, overall, are higher in Alameda County than national and state averages, the suicide rate is consistently below average. The report attributes this trend to the county’s crisis support network and its demography: older white men in rural areas are far more likely to attempt suicide with a gun.

Addressing gun violence throughout the county, the report splits its recommendations into public health and public safety impacts. The former includes investing in communities and violence intervention programs; the latter focuses on people getting rid of their firearms and greater enforcement of existing gun laws.

The report comes on the heels of a successful recall election against Price, meaning the bulk of the policy recommendations will be passed to her successor.

Price said she hopes the next District Attorney will take up the baton and continue her office’s work to address gun violence throughout the county.

“The Alameda County Public Health Department is committed to continuing this work, and I know that there are many in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office that are committed to continuing this work,” Price said.