SACRAMENTO, California--Sacramento police said on Sunday that multiple shooters were involved in early morning violence that left six people dead and another 12 with gunshot wounds, but that the suspects remain at large.
Police Chief Kathy Lester provided no information about any suspects or the motivation for the shootings that took place a few blocks from the state capitol as bars began to close and revelers packed streets.
"We know that a large fight took place just prior to the shooting, and we have confirmed there were multiple shooters," Lester told reporters in an afternoon press conference.
Lester said there were three men and three women among those killed. She did not identify any of the victims.
The shooting occurred at about 2 a.m. PT, Lester said, near the Golden 1 Center, an arena where the Sacramento Kings basketball team plays and concerts take place. Police said in a statement that they had recovered "at least" one firearm at the scene and had located 12 victims "with varying degrees of injuries."
Several blocks were cordoned off by officers and dotted with blue and red plastic cones that marked evidence. Family members waited outside the police lines seeking news about missing loved ones. Among them was Pamela Harris, who said her daughter had called her at 2:15 a.m. to say that her 38-year-old son, Sergio, had been shot and killed outside a nightclub.
"She said he was dead. I just collapsed," Harris said. She said she was still waiting on official confirmation from police, adding, "I cannot leave here now until I know what's going on. I'm not going anywhere. It seems like a dream."
Community activist Berry Accius said he had rushed to the scene shortly after the shooting. "The first thing I saw was a young lady draped in her blood and others' blood. She was just on the phone saying 'My sister is dead! My sister is dead!'" said Accius, whose Voice of the Youth leadership programme is focused on gun violence prevention.
The violence occurred just blocks from the state capitol building in an area recently revitalized as an entertainment center. It shattered the welcoming atmosphere as pandemic masks started coming off in the past week and bars and restaurants began filling with people long isolated by COVID-19.
"The numbers of dead and wounded are difficult to comprehend. We await more information about exactly what transpired in this tragic incident," Mayor Darrell Steinberg said on Twitter. "Rising gun violence is the scourge of our city, state and nation, and I support all actions to reduce it.
