Police kill man who opened fire with rifle in Oakland

Oakland Police Officers investigate a shooting at 98th Avenue and Golf Links Road in Oakland, CA, on Friday February 17, 2017. Oakland Police Officers investigate a shooting at 98th Avenue and Golf Links Road in Oakland, CA, on Friday February 17, 2017. Photo: Michael Short, Special To The Chroincle Buy photo Photo: Michael Short, Special To The Chroincle Image 1 of / 9 Caption Close Police kill man who opened fire with rifle in Oakland 1 / 9 Back to Gallery

A man who fired at residents, cars and police officers in Oakland died at a hospital Friday night hours after being shot by an officer, police said.

The shooter was identified as 32-year-old Jesse Enjaian, who had been living on Las Vegas Avenue for at least two years, neighbors said. His armed frenzy temporarily shut down a nearby section of Interstate 580 and caused the evacuation of one school and the lockdown of another.

Neighbors called police about 9 a.m. to report a man firing a rifle in the 9500 block of Las Vegas Avenue off 98th Avenue and Golf Links Road in Oakland, said Officer Johnna Watson, an Oakland Police Department spokeswoman.

Enjaian, a graduate of UCLA, attended law school at the University of Michigan, where he was investigated for stalking a student, according to court records.

The stalking victim submitted a complaint that Enjaian had a gun and had expressed interest in using it in an “act of mass homicide.”

When officers arrived at the scene Friday, the man began shooting at them, and one Oakland officer returned fire, Watson said. Watson would not release the gunman’s name, but neighbors identified him as Enjaian.

“This is extremely concerning for the Oakland Police Department,” Watson said. “We have a lot of traffic that comes through this area. We also have several schools in the area.”

A motive for the shooting was under investigation. Helicopter video from KGO-TV showed a man with a rifle pointing the weapon out of the second story of a home, spray-painting what appeared to be eyes onto the garage door of a different home, and spray-painting an obscene picture on a car.

The California Highway Patrol was notified at 9:14 a.m. that an active shooter prompted a closure of eastbound I-580 at Golf Links Road, officials said. The agency reported shortly before 10 a.m. that the suspect was detained by the Oakland Police Department and the interstate was reopened. Video also showed a police car with what appeared to be bullet holes in the windshield.

“At first I thought (the bullets were) firecrackers. Then I thought, ‘How odd. This is usually not a day for firecrackers.’ Then I heard police cars coming, and I thought, ‘They’re coming here, aren’t they?’” said Cheryl Delahoussaye, Enjaian’s neighbor, who added that she saw Enjaian vandalizing homes in the neighborhood before police stopped him.

Barack Obama Academy was evacuated, and Bishop O’Dowd High School was put on lockdown after police called and asked those inside to shelter in place. The shooter was firing at officers on the south side of the school, Watson said.

On- and off-ramps for eastbound and westbound I-580 on 98th street in Oakland were reopened by about 3 p.m., almost six hours after the shooting.

Jenna Lyons, Sarah Ravani and Michael Bodley are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com, sravani@sfchronicle.com, mbodley@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno, @SarRavani, @michael_bodley