OAKLAND, California. – Gene Ransom, one of the biggest stars in college basketball at the University of California at Berkeley, was identified as the deadly victim of the shooting that friday in the afternoon it paralyzed traffic on Interstate 880 in Oakland for several hours.
A family member confirmed to ABC7 that Ransom was the person in a vehicle that crashed in the northbound lanes of I-880 near Oak Street around 5:15 pm. The Highway Patrol confirmed that Ransom had died from a gunshot wound.
According to the investigation, after the shooting, the victim crashed into a guardrail until his vehicle came to a complete stop. At the moment, the authorities have not revealed data on possible suspects or the motive for the attack; They have also not officially revealed the name of the victim.
Who was Gene Ransom?
At just 5 feet 9 inches tall, Gene Ransom became a basketball phenom at an early age in the East Bay. His glory days on the Berkeley High School team landed him a starting job for the Cal Bears in the late 1970’s.
During his college career, Ransom averaged 14.8 points per game and had 356 assists in the three years he played for UC Berkeley.
In one of his most memorable performances, he was on the floor for 63.5 minutes to score 36 points in Cal’s 107-102 win over Oregon in February 1979. That historic matchup ended after five overtimes.
But his career did not end in Cal. The Golden State Warriors signed him in 1979, although he was not considered to join the team at the start of the NBA season. His sports skills led him to also play for three years in the Minor League Baseball, with the affiliate of the Oakland Athletics.
He eventually returned to UC Berkeley as a basketball coach and in 2001 was inducted into the University of California System Hall of Fame.
Interstate 880: a deadly highway
Friday night’s shooting on Highway 880 was the latest in a violent streak that has called into question the safety of expressways in the East Bay, especially those that run through Oakland.
So far in 2022, there have already been two fatal shootings on Oakland highways, and the fifth in the last nine months. “It is unacceptable. Any homicide, any violent crime is unacceptable,” Oakland Councilman Dan Kalb said in an interview with ABC7.
Months later, in October, a 23-month-old baby identified as Jasper Wu was killed by a gunshot during a shooting on I-880. The tragedy shocked the community and revived calls to place more security cameras along the stretches through Oakland.
Before the end of 2021, in November, an Antioch woman was shot dead on I-80, and just last month an Alameda County Sheriff’s deputy was killed in the same way while driving home. in San Francisco on the I-580 freeway.
Rise in shootings, homicides and robberies worries the Oakland community
