Update: Surveillance video shows Oakland shooting that left Asian woman dead
OAKLAND -- Surveillance video obtained by KPIX 5 shows the brazen daylight attempted robbery of an older Asian woman Sunday afternoon that ended with the victim being fatally shot.
Oakland police officers found the woman suffering multiple gunshot wounds near the intersection of East 11th St. and Fifth Avenue in the city's Little Saigon neighborhood shortly after 2 p.m. She was taken to the hospital where she later died.
On Monday, KPIX confirmed the victim's identity as 56-year-old Lili Xu, a dentist who works at the Pacific Renaissance Center on 9th Street in Oakland.
Police are still looking for the suspect or suspects involved in the attempted robbery and deadly shooting.
KPIX on Monday obtained surveillance video that showed the incident and the suspect vehicle involved. The clip from a camera at a residence across the street from where the incident happened on Fifth Avenue shows the victim pulling into a parking spot in their dark Mercedes Benz sedan. The suspect vehicle, an older white model four-door Lexus, pulls up alongside the victim's parked vehicle.
A suspect is seen getting out of the white vehicle and going around the Mercedes Benz to the passenger side where the suspect apparently demanded the victim's purse. Screams of protest followed by the sound of three gunshots can be heard in the audio from the clip before the suspect gets back into the white car and the suspect vehicle flees the scene.
The video also revealed that the suspect vehicle was parked a short distance away on Fifth Avenue, laying in wait for 30-45 minutes before the attempted robbery.
No arrests have been made and Oakland Police have not released any information on a possible suspect. During a 3:30 p.m. press conference Monday, authorities asked anyone with information or surveillance video related to the case to contact the department.
"While the department has moved additional resources to that area, while the department has made some pretty key arrests in other violent incidents that have happened in that area, this unfortunate area in our city continues to be be impacted," said Armstrong. "And I'm saddened by by what we have seen."
Oakland police are also asking for help from the driver a white Tesla that was seen in the area just before the crime. A Tesla can be seen in the surveillance video passing the suspect vehicle moments before the crime. Cameras from onboard the Tesla could provide some clues.
Police provided images of the Tesla from the surveillance footage. The Tesla has a distinctive roof rack and a bike rack on its rear. It was traveling on 5th Avenue towards Interstate Highway 880 at about 2 p.m. on Sunday, police said. The occupant(s) of this car may have vital information concerning this homicide, police said.
The deadly shooting marks Oakland's 77th homicide of the year.
A community angry and fearful for their safety called out city leaders for a lack of action during a Monday afternoon rally outside Oakland City Hall. They also mourned the loss of the beloved dentist
"She think about everyone, my birthday, everyone's birthday," said friend Guosong Liu.
Patients quickly became friends of Doctor Lili Xu. The longtime dentist was a pillar in the community.
"She was a very devoted doctor here in Oakland Chinatown," said said community activist and President of Oakland's Chinatown Chamber of Commerce Carl Chan. "Well loved by her patients. In fact, her staff said so many good things about her that they stayed with her for so many years."
At the rally, residents felt compelled to grab the microphone and share their feelings of frustration and fear. One man said through a translator that as an elder it is "unacceptable and unbelievable that their hard-earned property, all their work they put in to raise their family, to take care of their family, is being robbed."
"One of the ways to address this kind of crime is to have a presence in the neighborhood," said Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O'Malley.
"This is not just been happening for a few months," said Oakland City Council President Nikki Fortunato Bas. "It's been happening for a few decades and we know that type of targeting of our community has to stop because we've had enough."
But some community members interrupted elected leaders to say they their response to crime isn't working.
"We see the politicians, we need everyone to play their part and do their work. But it's the same thing. It's a lot of empty promises," one resident said.
Those who knew doctor Xu worry that any one of them could be next.
"We as a community, today it is her. Tomorrow it could be me," said Liu.
Bas released a statement Sunday evening calling for justice.
"I am outraged and sickened over the senseless, brutal slaying of an elderly AAPI woman in broad daylight this afternoon in Oakland's Little Saigon," Bas said. "There was an attempted robbery in the middle of the afternoon, she was shot and killed."
"People who perpetrate these violent crimes must be held accountable and brought to justice," Bas said. "What does it say about our community when we cannot walk down our own street, visit a neighbor, or enjoy a picnic on the lake on a Sunday afternoon? We can and must do better. NO ONE should presume they can come into Oakland at any time and commit a violent crime without repercussions."
Bas said she was "sending love, condolences and support to the family of this victim. Please know that we share your grief, shock and loss and will do whatever it takes to identify those responsible to achieve justice for your family."
Bas announced that she would hold a community vigil on the 1100 block of Fifth Avenue near the location of the incident at 5:30 p.m. Monday to grieve for the victim.
The shooting was near Oakland's Little Saigon District, which has been suffering disproportionately from crime, Bas said.
Seven Little Saigon businesses sustained serious losses Aug. 1 in burglaries, according to police. After that, police deployed a liaison officer to the district.
Oakland City Council President Pro Tem Sheng Thao, who is running for mayor this fall, said on Twitter Monday that she was "deeply disturbed by another act of senseless violence here in Oakland. My heart breaks for this elder and her family and we can and will hold those responsible accountable."
Oakland City Council member Loren Taylor, who is also running for mayor, said on Twitter Sunday, "An attack on one of us is an attack on all of us. We will bring justice to the victim and her family and ensure everyone understands that this activity will not be tolerated in Oakland."
Shawn Chitnis contributed to this report.
