By Khalida Sarwari
The family of a 42-year-old man killed in a shooting in Oakland early Sunday morning may move out of the city because they no longer feel safe, the man’s niece said today.
Iliaz Lomidze was shot with a shotgun at about 12:10 a.m. Sunday in the 2800 block of High Street, police Sgt. Ray Backman said.
Officers who responded to the shooting learned that Lomidze had been taken to a hospital by friends, police said. He died at the hospital at about 3:25 p.m. Sunday.
Police said it appears Lomidze was shot while standing on a sidewalk.
The victim’s niece, Zulfinar Lomidze, is one of many family members who live nearby and said today that the family is scared now and is thinking of leaving Oakland.
“My uncle didn’t have any enemies,” she said. “It’s so weird. We can’t even go out now.”
Lomidze was a Turkish native who also lived in Russia before moving to the U.S., his niece said.
No arrests have been made, and Zulfinar Lomidze said the family has not gotten any updates from police in the past couple of days about the investigation into the shooting.
She said a funeral was held Wednesday for her uncle.
Police are encouraging anyone with information on the shooting to contact the Police Department’s homicide unit at (510) 238-3821.