LOS ANGELES: The Sacramento Police Department confirmed Sunday afternoon that six adults were killed and 12 other people were injured in a mass shooting that occurred early morning in Sacramento (California), reported Xinhua.
At a press conference, Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester said that the shootings broke out after a large fight in downtown and killed three men and three women. But she did not release any details about the suspect or a possible motive.
Nearby buildings were hit by gunfire and a stolen handgun was recovered at the scene, Lester said, adding that the investigators suspected that multiple shooters were involved in the tragic incident.
According to her, police patrolling the area heard gunfire at about 2 a.m. (0900 GMT). When police arrived at the scene, they found a large crowd gathered on the street and began lifesaving measures to multiple victims on scene; however, six victims were pronounced deceased at the scene.
In a video showed by local KCRA 3 news channel, some strong young men grappled with each other first in a street, then the sound of gunfires could be heard in background.
As the crowd of people were running through the street, screams could be heard as they ran to safety.
KCRA 3 said they counted 76 gunshots in this video and called the incident as the most fatal shooting in the city’s history.
Lester also issued a plea to the public at the press conference, asking for witnesses or anyone with recordings of the incident to contact police.
Gun violence has been on the rise across the United States in the past few years, a trend fueled by multiple factors – from the economic and social disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic to the unrest during the 2020 elections, as well as a surge in gun sales.
More than 17,000 people have died or been injured due to gun violence in the country so far this year, during which America has seen at least 110 mass shootings, according to a database run by the nonprofit research group Gun Violence Archive.
“It was just horrific,” said community activist Berry Accius, who arrived minutes after the shooting.
“Just as soon as I walked up you saw a chaotic scene, police all over the place, victims with blood all over their bodies, folks screaming, folks crying, people going, ‘Where is my brother?’ Mothers crying and trying to identify who their child was,” he told local broadcaster KXTV.
The shooting happened in the downtown area, just blocks from the state capitol and close to the venue where the NBA’s Sacramento Kings play.
The San Francisco Chronicle quoted a woman at the scene as saying she had been told that her husband of 12 years was among the dead.
Mayor Steinberg said it was difficult to find the right words to describe the tragedy.
“The numbers of dead and wounded are difficult to comprehend,” he said, adding that he was waiting for more information about the incident.
“Rising gun violence is the scourge of our city, state and nation, and I support all actions to reduce it,” he said.
More than 23 million guns were sold in 2020 — a record—on top of 20 million in 2021, according to data compiled by website Small Arms Analytics.
That number does not include “ghost” guns, which are sold disassembled, lack serial numbers, and are highly prized in criminal circles.
In June 2021, 30 percent of American adults said they owned at least one gun, according to a Pew survey.
