2 people shot and killed near Oakland mosque

Two men were shot and killed in Oakland Monday night when a car with multiple shooters drove by, opening fire on a crowd of people around the corner from the Oakland Islamic Center, the Oakland Police Department said at a press conference. Members of the center told SFGATE that the men had been at the mosque for prayer and to break their fast.

The Oakland Police Department said it initially received an alert about multiple shots being fired just before 7:45 p.m. from a ShotSpotter near Telegraph and 31st avenues. The shooting occurred near a food market and Layalina Restaurant. At the scene, officers found two men, ages 27 and 59, with gunshot wounds, the department said. A 19-year-old man drove himself to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

Members of the Oakland Islamic Center community told SFGATE that the two deceased men were among 60 to 70 people who had come to the mosque that evening.

"People are very shocked. At this moment, we were sitting down to break our fast," Hatim Nasser, a member of the center, told SFGATE over the phone. "Then some people decided to go to the store."

Opened in 1990, the Oakland Islamic Center is a gathering place for the Muslim community, offering classes and a place for prayer, according to its website.

Only 45 minutes after the double homicide on Telegraph Avenue, a woman was shot and killed at East 20th Street and 23rd Avenue, police said. The two incidents appear to be unrelated, the department said at the press conference.

Police have not released names of the victims in either incident. The motives for the shootings are under investigation, police said.

With the three recent deaths, Oakland has seen 90 homicides since the start of the year. At this time last year, Oakland had 97 homicides, the police department said.