A Bay Area Park Was Closed After A Deadly Shooting In 2002. Now, It's Getting A Fresh Start

OAKLAND, CA — Renovations have begun on an Oakland that had been shuttered for decades following a deadly shooting.

Oakland city officials broke ground on the new $3.5 million revitalization project at Tyrone Carney Park on Saturday. The park will feature four new play areas, fitness equipment, paved walking paths, a memorial and a circular central plaza.

“I am proud to celebrate this exciting step forward in our effort to build a safer and more vibrant East Oakland,” Oakland Mayor Barbara Lee said in a statement Saturday. "... we are not only bringing back a treasured neighborhood park, but also investing in the health, safety, and future of this community.”

The park was built in 1968 and named after Tyrone Carney, an Oakland resident and United States Marine Corps member who died while serving in Vietnam in 1968, according to city officials.

But it closed down in 2002, when someone was killed and three others were injured when a shooting broke out at a party in the park, according to SFGate.

In 2017, community members in East Oakland began thinking of ways to improve the quality of life in their neighborhoods. One of the best ways to do this, they agreed, was reopening and bringing new life to its parks.

City Council Member Ken Houston, who represents Oakland's Seventh District, said he grew up near the park and recalls officials at the time being met with the difficult decision of having to close it down.

"Now, 23 years later, I have the honor of representing the neighborhood I grew up in as a Councilmember myself, and breaking ground on a new and improved park," Houston said in a statement. "This is a full-circle moment, and it’s a pleasure to be a part of it.”

The new and improved park is expected to open by the summer of 2026, city officials said.