The announcement came after police launched a "tactical alert" and doubled the number of officers on patrol for one day.
"Within 24 to 36 hours, police will have everyone aligned with this under custody and brought to justice," vowed Police Chief Anthony Batts after a vigil Tuesday evening that drew several hundred residents to the scene of the shooting.
The 1 p.m. Monday shooting of Carlos Fernandez Nava in the 6400 block of International Boulevard stunned the city. Even residents of the area who said they were sadly familiar with the sound of gunfire said that the midday shooting of a 3-year-old from a stray bullet was more than they expected. Carlos was shot near a Little Caesars Pizza shop and a neighborhood grocery.
The chief provided few details of the investigation, but said, "We're looking for a number of people. ... We want to capture everyone involved."
The result of the community outrage, police said, was an outpouring of tips and leads, readily supplied by witnesses and others.
The description of the suspects and their getaway car have not been revealed as numerous agencies, including the Oakland Police Department, the U.S. marshals office and the Alameda County sheriff, pursued leads around the Bay Area.
The vigil had an almost militant tone, as civic leaders voiced frustration at the pervasive level of violence in some Oakland neighborhoods.
"We can't rely on the police or the politicians," said Bishop Bob Jackson of Acts Full Gospel Church in Oakland. "We're the only ones who can make (the violence) stop ... We have to come together as a community to make it happen."
Maria Teresa Ramirez, the mother of the slain boy, appeared briefly on the edge of the crowd but did not address it. Her presence struck a chord with the new city administrator, Deanna Santana, who called the situation in Oakland a "state of crisis."
"There are no words you can offer a mother who has lost a child," said Santana, herself the mother of a 3-year-old boy. "I get it."
Nava's parents, family and friends all declined comment Tuesday at their modest two-bedroom home, which is just three blocks from the site of the shooting. Neighbors said they had moved in just weeks ago.
One of their neighbors, Mike Jones, said the sound of gunshots is heard "all the time - once a week, at least."
Jones, his wife and their three children, ages 3, 7 and 12, go to the same neighborhood grocery almost every day. The shooting was too much for them.
"With what happened yesterday, we have to get out of here," said Jones, 37, a lifelong resident of East Oakland.
As a child, "you might fight with someone one day, but then hang out the next," he said. "Nowadays, they don't even want to fight. They run quick to get a gun. They don't care who they hit. It's senseless. Cowardly, too."
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