6 died and at least 10 were wounded from a shooting rampage that occurred in downtown Sacramento early Sunday.
Police boss Kathy Lester said officers arrived at the scene around 2 a.m. and found dead bodies on the street amid a large crowd gathered on the street in an area packed with bars and restaurants. Police earlier reported “multiple victims” after the attack, not far from the State Capitol, as they waded through the carnage counting casualties.
Broken glass and police evidence markers were strewn over a lot of blocks. Police said on Twitter that investigators were in notice of a social media video “that appears to show an altercation” taking place just prior to the shooting. Police has created an e-portal for the public to submit evidence.
“If anyone saw anything, has video, can provide information to the police department we are asking for their assistance,” Lester commented.
Video sent to Twitter showed people running in the street with the sound of gun-shots in the background. Multiple ambulances and other first responders were present at the scene. Berry Accius, a community activist, said he got to the scene shortly after the shooting.
“A lot of victims with blood,” Accius said to local news ABC10. “Accius said to local news ABC10. “Just watching some of the families that didn’t know if their loved one was alive, running, trying to point out what was happening, people distraught, people discombobulated. It was just horrific.”
Pamela Harris stood outside the cordoned-off area Sunday, waiting for news about her son, Sergio. Sergio Harris had gone to the London nightclub late Saturday, and his family are yet to hear from him since, Pamela told the Sacramento Bee.
“We just want to know what happened to him,” Pamela said. “Not knowing anything is just hard to face.”
No one has been arrested and Lester said the number of assailants cannot be ascertained. It was not known whether the victims were specifically targeted, she commented.
City Hall was disclosed as an information center for families of victims; city staffand police were on the scene. Authorities cordoned off the eight-block area not far from the Golden One Center where the NBA’s Sacramento Kings play and said the investigation was proceeding. Lester, who did not give specifics on the type of gun used, described the scene as “very complex and complicated.”
Some of the wounded victims were transported by ambulance to hospitals, others went on their own or were taken by friends, Lester said.
This shooting comes just a month after 5 were killed when a man opened fire at a Sacramento church and killed his 3 children, then shot himself, authorities said. A fifth people also died in that shooting.
Sunday’s tragedy appears to be the largest mass shooting in the city’s history, the Bee said. The sixth deaths are the most in the nationthid year, along with attacks in Wisconsin in January and Texas in February, according to the Washington, D.C. based Gun Violence Archive.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, in a series of tweets, called gun violence “the scourge of our city, state and nation.” He said Lester, who began the job two weeks ago, has made gun violence a top priority.
“Words can’t express my shock and sadness this morning,” Steinberg tweeted. “The numbers of dead and wounded are difficult to comprehend.”
Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a statement sending condolences to the victim of “yet another horrendous act of gun violence.” He said his office was monitoring reports from the scene.
“What we do know at this point is that another mass casualty shooting has occurred, leaving families with lost loved ones, multiple individuals injured and a community in grief,” Newsom said. ‘The scourge of gun violence continues to be a crisis in our country, and we must resolve to bring an end to this carnage.”
