Oakdale Police were called to two separate shooting incidents in a matter of minutes on Sunday night, Feb. 16.

Shortly before 11 p.m., units were called to the area of the 500 block of East H Street for reports of gunfire and shots being fired at a residence.

When officers arrived, the suspects had already fled the area. Police located several spent shotgun casings in the street. Contact with the residents inside the house determined that four people were inside at the time the shooting occurred and no one was hurt or struck by the gunfire.

Officers discovered that one of the shotgun blasts had hit a car in the driveway and at least two of the blasts had gone into the home, going through a front window and lodging in a kitchen wall.

The residents told police that they believed Norteno gang members were responsible for the shooting because they mistakenly believe an individual who moved into the house from Southern California is a Sureno gang member. The residents denied any gang affiliation to investigators.

Witnesses did not report any suspect or vehicle descriptions.

Oakdale Police Detective Sergeant Joe Johnson said that while police were on scene of the H Street shooting, they received calls regarding another shooting in the vicinity of the 300 block of South Fourth Avenue.

Upon arrival at the second location officers discovered shots had been fired through the front window of a house on that street.

No one was hurt or struck in the second incident either.

A woman with four daughters who lived in the residence told officers that her estranged boyfriend’s brother had been making threats about harming them since the breakup.

The woman and occupants only spoke Spanish, but officers learned that threats of violence and shooting were made in Spanish to the woman on her Facebook account by the brother.

Police are withholding names of persons involved in both incidents for their safety and are currently following leads on both incidents.

The area where both incidents occurred has been fraught with gang activity and shootings.

Last October a shootout occurred between rival gang members at the nearby Oakdale Market. In November a search of a validated gang member’s residence on South Third Avenue revealed drugs, stolen guns and a stolen vehicle. In January 2013 officers searching the same neighborhood approached two suspicious men when one of the suspects fired one shot from a handgun at the officer before both suspects took off running in opposite directions causing a multi-agency dragnet.  

In 2012 a double homicide occurred at the Oakdale Market by Ryan Mazzariello claiming he shot and killed gang members who had been harassing him.

Anyone with information about any of these incidents should contact the Oakdale Police Department at (209) 847-2231.