EDITOR’S NOTE: An earlier version of this story misstated the name of the governing body Supervisor Miley was calling on to hold an emergency meeting. This has been updated. (Aug. 25,2022)
OAKLAND, Calif. (KRON) — An Alameda County Supervisor blasted the Oakland City Council and declared “lawlessness in Oakland must stop,” in the wake of another brutal, senseless homicide that took the life of Dr. Lili Xu.
“I am tired of paying high taxes and not getting core services; like public safety. It angers me! I wish you would get angry and say you are mad as hell, and you are not going to take it anymore. Lawlessness in Oakland must stop,” county supervisor Nate Miley wrote on Twitter Wednesday.
Miley said he is calling on the Oakland City Council to hold an emergency meeting to address violence in Oakland.
“On Sunday, Dr. Lili Xu was murdered in broad daylight in Oakland’s Little Saigon neighborhood. I offer my most sincere condolences to her family and the API community who has experienced yet another tragic and avoidable loss of life,” Miley wrote.
“As a longtime Oakland resident, I am very disappointed in the Oakland City Council president and councilmembers for their failure to ensure public safety in this city. Their lack of a comprehensive public safety plan for this city is disgraceful! The council’s historical failure to support Oakland Police Department for enforcement of the law is an example of the ‘chickens coming home to roost.'”
Xu was a 60-year-old dentist, mother, and ballet dancer.
She had just parked her car on Fifth Avenue at 2 p.m. when a white Lexus pulled alongside her. A gunman bolted out of the Lexus and tried to rob Xu, according to Oakland Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong.
Heart-wrenching surveillance video recorded the gunman firing three shots and a woman can be heard screaming. Xu died in a hospital from gunshot wounds.
The entire altercation took place in a matter of seconds.
Armstrong said the Little Saigon slaying was “a devastating day” and “not who Oakland is.” No arrests have been made.
There have been 77 homicides in Oakland this year.
Earlier this week, City Council president Nikki Fortunato 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.”
Another deadly shooting in Little Saigon happened on July 17, when Uber driver Kon Fung was murdered by assailants who attempted to steal his car. The July 17 attempted robbery mirrored Sunday’s attempted robbery. Two men ran up to Fung’s car, fired shots within seconds, and fled.
“Fung was waiting in his car when he was approached by two individuals. The two individuals ordered him out of his car. When he did not, a shot was fired, striking Mr. Fung,” prosecutors wrote.
An adult and a juvenile were later arrested and charged with Fung’s murder.
OPD announced it is deploying more officers downtown. “This weekend, OPD will have an increased presence of officers in our downtown area for the safety and security of our residents, visitors, and businesses. There will also be a limit to the amount of vehicle traffic in the area,” OPD wrote.
Anyone with information about Xu’s killing is asked to call the Oakland Police Department at 510-238-3641. A white Tesla is also seen in the surveillance video. Police are asking for someone in that Tesla to talk to police about what they witnessed to help their investigation.
