3 men shot dead in North Oakland; suspect detained

The home on 54th Street in North Oakland where police found the bodies of three men shot to death on May 23, 2015. A suspect has been detained. The home on 54th Street in North Oakland where police found the bodies of three men shot to death on May 23, 2015. A suspect has been detained. Photo: Henry K. Lee, San Francisco Chronicle Photo: Henry K. Lee, San Francisco Chronicle Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close 3 men shot dead in North Oakland; suspect detained 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

Three men were shot and killed at a home in North Oakland on Saturday, and a suspect was detained, police said.

The victims, who ranged in age from their 40s to 60s, were not immediately identified. The shooting was reported at a lower-level unit of a home on the 900 block of 54th Street, west of Adeline Street, at 2:47 p.m.

Officers arrived and learned that the suspect had barricaded himself inside the home, police said. Rather than engage the suspect, police called for the SWAT team. After several hours of negotiations, the suspect exited the home and was taken into custody. His name was withheld.

Officers conducted a security sweep of the residence and found three men dead from gunshot wounds, authorities said.

Police and neighbors said the suspect shot and killed his father and two other men who lived at the residence.

Larry Benson, 58, who lives next door, said the two other men were “souls” that the homeowner, Ben Robinson, was “rescuing.”

Benson, who has been active with a neighborhood crime prevention council, said he’s had problems with various residents of the home for the 15 years he’s lived there, including problems with pigeons and chickens kept on the property.

Benson said he heard three shots as he was in his backyard Saturday. The second shot rang out 30 seconds after the first one, and the third shot about 45 seconds after the second, he said.

Police had used a public-address system, calling out each of the men’s names and ordering them to come out, Benson said.

The suspect surrendered after police deployed a flashbang grenade, authorities said.

When the three bodies were found, Benson was aghast, he said.

“I thought to myself, ‘How is that possible? I only heard three shots. He must be quite an aim,’” he said.

Benson said the suspect in the triple slaying had been convicted of burglarizing his home and stealing his computer monitor two years ago.

Henry K. Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: hlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @henryklee