A Federal Protective Service officer working at a federal building in Oakland Saturday was shot at and killed, while another who took fire was wounded.
The San Francisco Federal Bureau of Investigation field office told Newsweek in an emailed statement Saturday that the officer killed after a person in vehicle driving by the two officers started firing at them.
"FBI San Francisco and the Oakland Police Department are investigating a shooting that occurred at the Ronald V. Dellums Federal Building...At approximately 9:45 p.m. on Friday, May 29, 2020, a vehicle approached the building. An individual inside the vehicle began firing gunshots at contract security officers for the Federal Protective Service of the Department of Homeland Security," the FBI stated.
"One officer was killed and another was injured. The FBI has deployed investigators and the Evidence Response Team to the crime scene. We will continue to work this investigation alongside the Oakland Police Department. We will not be commenting further at this time," the statement read.
Chad Wolf, the acting Secretary of Homeland Security, held a press conference Saturday about the two officers who were shot "as they were responding to protests there in Oakland," alluding to the protests seeking justice for George Floyd that turned violent.
"Last night in Oakland, California an assassin cowardly shot Federal Protective Service contractors as they stood watch over a protest. One officer was killed and the other is in critical condition," Wolf said.
A spokesperson for the Oakland Police Department told KPIX 5 News the killing of the FPS officer is "still under investigation," and that it is unknown whether the incident was related to the protests.
The acting secretary sent his condolences to the families of the two officers. He also spoke on the Secret Service agents who protected the White House from violent protesters.
"They threw rocks, they threw urine, and they threw alcohol at our officers, and in several instances our officers incurred injuries to include broken bones," Wolf said.
He also said that the increased contracting of Federal Protective Service officers is part of proactive steps the Department of Homeland Security is taking following the events that have transpired.
Ken Cuccinelli, the acting deputy secretary of the DHS, also spoke at the press conference and condemned the violent acts on law enforcement officers.
"There are currently threats by some to attack police stations and federal buildings. That violence not only won't be tolerated, we are also committed to ensuring that it won't succeed anywhere...When someone targets a police officer or a police station with an intention to do harm and intimidate, that is an act of domestic terrorism," Cuccinelli said.
