Oakland mother slain by gunfire identified

A woman who was fatally shot in West Oakland on Monday afternoon had grown up in the area and had been visiting some family members, Oakland City Council President Lynette Gibson McElhaney said Tuesday.

Authorities have identified the slain woman as 30-year-old Chyemil Pierce, said Gibson McElhaney, whose district includes the area where the shooting occurred in the 2900 block of Chestnut Street at about 4:45 p.m. on Monday.

Pierce’s children, ages 7 and 9, attend the Vincent Academy charter school at 1911 Union St. and she had picked them up a short time earlier, Gibson McElhaney said. Police told KCBS Pierce was trying to get her children to safety when she was shot.

The school is constructing a new campus in the area where Pierce was shot, she said:

“My heart is burning for the loss of the life of a young mother and for her children, who will grow up without their mother.”

The councilwoman said she’s been told that the shooting erupted after a group of young women began fighting on the street where young men joined the fray and opened fire.

Gibson McElhaney said she thinks the shooting illustrates the need for tighter gun control laws to try to limit youths’ access to guns. Oakland police said on Monday that two other people were injured in the shooting but both of them were in stable condition. No one has been arrested for the shooting. Oakland police weren’t available for comment today on the shooting.

Pierce worked as a human resource specialist at Kaiser Permanente, according to her LinkedIn profile. Kaiser Permanente officials said in a statement:

“We were saddened to learn about the death of one of our employees, Chyemil Pierce. … Our hearts go out to her friends and family in the wake of this terrible tragedy. We are providing grief counselors and other support services to our employees during this difficult time.”