The shooting was reported at 11:14 a.m. at the Toyota of Berkeley service center, which is located in Albany on Eastshore Highway.
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Albany police requested the help of Berkeley police and officers then entered the building. They found a woman who had been shot and encountered a suspect, and "an exchange of gunfire occurred," according to Berkeley Police Officer Jessica Perry.
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Both the suspect and the victim died at the scene, authorities said. Their names have not been released and no information is available about whether they knew each other.
News of the shooting has been a shock to many people in the neighborhood. ABC7 News spoke to several people who say Albany's normally a really quiet place where stuff like this just doesn't happen.
That includes Fady Zawde, who spoke to ABC7 News in the parking lot of a Target just feet away from the Toyota dealership.
"Very shocked actually, and a little bit shaken when I seen the news this morning," Zawde said.
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Zawde says he's lived in Albany for a while, and is thankful that Thursday's shooting seems to be an isolated incident.
Others, like Leanne Wydick, also live close by.
She says the area has always been family friendly.
"This is a quiet neighborhood. There are multiple schools. My kids have soccer practice on the field just up there on Ocean View and we're never afraid to be down here," Wydick said.
Wydick says while the shooting unnerved her Thursday, she's determined to not let it change her perception of the area.
The Alameda County Sheriff's Office is investigating the officer-involved shooting and Albany police are investigating the fatal shooting of the employee, Alameda County Sheriff's Lt. Tya Modeste said.
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Berkeley Mayor Jesse Arreguin issued a statement about the shooting on Thursday afternoon.
"Berkeley's first responders leapt into action and into harm's way this morning, and their rapid response may have prevented further casualties," Arreguin said. "We are grateful to our officers for putting their lives on the line to confront this armed suspect. On behalf of the City of Berkeley I want to extend our heartfelt condolences to the victim's family. 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."
Bay City News contributed to this story.