Oakland police confirmed the double homicide was neither an attempted robbery nor a pre-planned event. It is still an active investigation.
Technicians are still in the process of identifying and interviewing witnesses and processing evidence from the scene.
No cash was stolen from the store or the two murder victims.
"The two customers were inside the restaurant. They had some type of contact with another individual or individuals. The customers felt threatened. They ran to the back of the restaurant to a refrigerated area," said Cpt. Anthony Toribio of the Oakland Police Department. "Two employees went to the back where the refrigeration area was to investigate, and at that point, they were shot."
The victims were identified as 26-year-old Jose Santa Maria and 22-year-old Kenneth "Omar" Bradley -- both of Richmond.
About two dozen residents and business owners of the Lakeshore, Lake Park and Grand Avenue area came to a community meeting hosted by area captains of the OPD. At Wednesday's meeting, police stressed the value of businesses using cameras for protection, but not everyone believes they're the solution.
"While surveillance cameras can be helpful in solving crimes after they've occurred, they're not the primary mode of deterring crime on the front end," said Will Matthews of Oakland.
Authorities say crime in the Grand Lake area is down after a brief spike in early June. Still, some believe the community should go even further by hiring their own security to step in where, they believe, Oakland police fall short.
"Private security is something that they need to look at. Not just on Lakeshore Avenue, or Grand, or Lake Park but the city as a whole. And as you see, there is a lot of security out here but we're talking about competent armed security," said Len Montalvo of the Oakland-based Intervention Group security agency.
Shortly after the shooting, Oakland police announced the arrest of one suspect. They have also identified a second suspect and believe it is only a matter of time before they find him.
