At least 18 people were injured, six fatally, when a mass shooting broke out early Sunday in downtown Sacramento, California, and police said no suspects were remanded in custody.
The Sacramento Police Department said several streets in downtown Sacramento just a few blocks from the state Capitol building and the Golden 1 Center, where the Kings’ NBA team plays, were closed as officers responded to the gun violence. The victims’ circumstances were not immediately known, police said.
Three of the dead are men and three are women, police said during a press conference on Sunday afternoon. A fight took place just before the shootings and there were several shooters, authorities said.
The shooting came just hours after one person was killed and 10 people were injured when gunfire erupted at an outdoor concert in Dallas, Texas.
The shooting in Sacramento broke out around 2 a.m. near the corner of 10th and K Street in a popular nightlife area, Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester said at a news conference.
Lester said police officers were in the area and heard the shot.
“We had a large crowd in the area. We do not know if it was part of a club or an event,” Lester said.
She said officers immediately responded and began providing medical assistance to the victims.
In a statement Sunday afternoon, police said six people were killed shot and another 12 were injured and taken to hospitals.
Lester asked for the public’s help in identifying the suspect or suspects involved in the shooting and said no one was remanded in custody.
Pamela Harris of Sacramento told ABC News that her son, Sergio Harris, a married father of two daughters, was among those killed. She said she went to the scene of the shooting around 2:30 a.m. after receiving a call from someone who is not in the police and informing her that her 38-year-old son was among those killed.
“My son was a very lively young man, fun to be with, liked to party, have fun, smile all the time, did not bother people. That this was going to happen … it’s crazy,” Harris told reporters On-site. . “I’m right to the point right now, I do not know what to do. I do not even think this is right. I feel it’s a dream.”
Community activist Berry Accius of the Voice of the Youth said he arrived at the scene around 2:30 a.m. after a city council member called him about the shooting.
“It was just awful,” Accius told ABC-affiliated station KXTV in Sacramento. “Just as soon as I went up you saw a chaotic scene, police all over, victims with blood all over their bodies, people screaming, people crying, people walking: ‘Where is my brother?’ Mothers crying and trying to identify who their child was. “
Video posted on Twitter showed people running through the street as the apparent sound of quick shots could be heard in the background.
“Please avoid the area as a large police presence will remain and the site will remain active,” police officials said in a statement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it is assisting the Sacramento Police Department in the investigation.
Sacramento police asked everyone in the area at the time of the shooting to submit photos and videos or other evidence related to the violence to investigators.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg condemned the shooting during a news conference Sunday afternoon in downtown Sacramento.
“This is a meaningless and unacceptable tragedy. And I emphasize the word unacceptable,” Steinberg said. “Thoughts and prayers are not near enough. We must do more as a city as a state and as a nation. This senseless epidemic of gun violence must be addressed. How many endless tragedies will it take before we begin to cure the disease in this country? Let us to be honest, it’s a disease. “
California Governor Gavin Newsom and his wife, Jennifer, issued a statement saying they were monitoring the shooting and that his administration is working closely with law enforcement.
“Unfortunately, we mourn once again the lost lives and those injured in yet another horrific act of gun violence. Jennifer and I send our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and to the wider community affected by this terrible tragedy,” Newsom’s statement reads. “What we know at present is that another massacre shooting has taken place, leaving families with lost loved ones, several people injured and a community in mourning. The scourge of gun violence continues to be a crisis in our country and we must decide to end this massacre. “
This is a development story. Please come back for updates.