Two men, including a father of eight, were fatally shot in South Berkeley just after midnight Thursday.

Berkeley police Officer Andrew Frankel said the city's ninth and 10th homicide victims of the year were found within a block of each other between the 1400 and 1500 blocks of Derby Street after several neighbors called to report the shooting at about 12:15 a.m.

According to Frankel, double homicides in Berkeley are "infrequent." The incident is the first double homicide since Jan. 22, 2002.

A 45-year-old Oakland resident, whose relatives declined to immediately identify him, was found lying against the curb in the middle of the 1400 block of Derby suffering from apparent gunshot wounds. The man, a father of eight, was declared dead at the scene by Berkeley Fire Department paramedics.

According to Frankel, the block was shut down for a few hours following the incident as police investigated the scene.

Police cordoned off the residence located at 1400 Derby in order to inspect the house, which has an apparent bullet hole in a window. Family members gathered outside the home, talking quietly and staring at bullet fragments and spattered blood on the sidewalk.

Officers found another victim, a 26-year-old Berkeley resident, when they responded to additional emergency calls concerning a traffic collision.

The second victim succumbed to gunshot wounds after crashing the car he was driving into a parked car on the 1500 block of Derby, Frankel said. He was declared dead at the scene.

Police said they believe the shooter or shooters ran through nearby backyards and escaped onto Ward Street. On Thursday morning, officers were investigating a chair with a broken leg and a bicycle at an apartment complex on Ward, among other pieces of evidence.

Both victims have been identified by police, but their names will not be released until their identities have been confirmed by the Alameda County Coroner.

No arrests have been made in connection with the incident, Frankel said.

Angelica Dongallo, Anna Hiatt and Brian Whitley of The Daily Californian contributed to this report.

Tags: SHOOTING