A kind-hearted Oakland man gunned down while bringing food to the homeless is being mourned by his longtime girlfriend as police officials decry the city's runaway gun violence.
Robert Herron, 55, was delivering donations he'd amassed with girlfriend Lisa Chavez in East Oakland on August 20 around 9.30 am when a man he had never met shot him several times.
Herron is one of 100 people shot dead in Oakland this year, compared with 70 at the same time in 2020, FOX5 reported. In total, there were 109 killings for all of 2020 last year.
By this time in 2019, Oakland had recorded 52 murders and saw 74 total that year.
Robert Herron, 55, was delivering donations he'd amassed with girlfriend Lisa Chavez in East Oakland on August 20 around 9.30 am when a man he had never met shot him several times.
Gun violence is on the rise in Oakland - the city hit the grim milestone of 100 killings this year on September 20 - there had only been 66 murders at this time last year, and 52 by September 20 in 2019
'So much violence. So many guns. So many senseless lives lost. If this is not a calling to everybody in this community that there is a crisis, I don’t know what is,' Police Chief LeRonne Armstrong said at a Monday press conference.
'I say this every time we have a press conference. I’m tired of appearing before you. We’ve got to do the work. I’ll be out in the community meeting with people, but I need people to step up and grab your loved ones and tell them, "Put the guns down.'''
Oakland, a city with a population of 425,000, has seen it's police department shrink to 694 sworn officers, according to The Guardian - the fewest since 2014.
In a 6-2 vote, the Oakland City Council voted Tuesday night to fund an additional police academy that will bring more officers to help fight crime, according to NBC Bay Area.
Robert Herron, 55 (pictured right), was delivering donations he'd amassed with
