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Rash Of Homicides Hit Oakland

OAKLAND (KCBS) – Oakland police said that having to deal with Occupy protests throughout the day on Saturday meant fewer cops patrolling the street in areas with a high crime rate.

Oakland Mayor Jean Quan said that at least 200 low priority calls to police on Saturday night did not receive a response because officers were tied up with the protesters.

And over the past 48 hours or so, six homicides were reported in the city, including a couple that was found dead Friday night near Lake Merritt and a person whose body was found hanging from a structure at the Port of Oakland Saturday afternoon.

Oakland Police Department spokeswoman Johnna Watson said that at times, the city was unprotected.

KCBS' Bob Melrose Reports:

"We had to shift them to the Occupy movement," she said. "So we have to really look at that from the law enforcement perspective and from the city perspective. Our number one priority and goal is to protect life and property in this city."

Multiple shootings late Saturday night and early Sunday morning resulted in two people being killed and several others injured. The most violent incident occurred in the 1700 block of 20th Avenue at 1:48 a.m. as a total of four people were shot, one dead, another in critical condition and two in stable condition. Shortly before that, another person was shot and killed in the 3400 block of Ettie Street.

19-year-old Christian Dixon was fatally shot and killed Friday night in the 800 block of Center Street.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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