It happened shortly after 1 a.m. at a Walgreens at 51st Street and Telegraph Avenue. Two masked suspects came into the store and one of them pointed a gun at an employee.
The store manager got out and flagged down two CHP officers who happened to be driving by. They called Oakland police and several police cruisers soon surrounded the store.
One suspect fired at the officers. He was killed as they returned fire; one CHP officer was hit in that shootout. There are reports from the scene that the officer may have been hit by friendly fire. That is under investigation. The injured officer has been with the CHP for one year.
"The suspect, who had previously fired shots in the business, aggressively fired rounds at the CHP officers, striking one of the officers; both CHP officers returned fire," Oakland Police Department Deputy Chief Eric Breshears said.
"What I can confirm is there were shots fired between the officers and suspect, the suspect suffered fatal injuries and our officer was shot multiple times," CHP spokesperson Sgt. Trent Cross said. "As far as friendly fire is concerned, we cannot confirm that at this time."
Investigators believe the suspect may be connected to other robberies. There is another "person of interest" who has been detained. He was one of those running from the store. The store is in a busy shopping center and those businesses adjacent to it shut down for the day. The area is still closed off by police tape as the investigation continues.
The names of the injured officer and the suspect killed have not been released.
There was another robbery at a Walgreens just a few blocks away a few hours later. Investigators do not believe there is a connection.
