Six people were fatally shot and another dozen were injured when multiple shooters opened fire in downtown Sacramento as people flooded out of bars and restaurants around 2:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, officials said.
"We know that a large fight took place just prior to the shooting and we have confirmed that there are multiple shooters," Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester said at a press conference on Sunday afternoon.
Three of the deceased victims are women and the other three are men.
Investigators are now combing through hundreds of pieces of evidence across multiple city blocks, including surveillance video and footage taken by members of the public.
The Sacramento Police Department said that it is aware of at least one video on social media that appears to show a fight preceding the shooting and encouraged members of the public to submit any evidence they have.
"We have video from our police camera at 10th and K Street that captured portions of the shooting and we have received multiple videos and tips from members of the public. We are deeply grateful for that and I want to thank the public for their assistance," Chief Lester said Sunday.
NEWSOM BLAMES GUNS FOR SACRAMENTO MASS SHOOTING
One stolen handgun was recovered at the scene. No suspects are in custody at this time.
"I have every confidence that Chief Lester and the hardworking men and women of the police department are going to find who was responsible," Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg said Sunday.
Officials from Mayor Steinberg to Gov. Gavin Newsom called for stricter gun laws in the wake of the shooting.
"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 in a statement on Sunday morning. "The scourge of gun violence continues to be a crisis in our country, and we must resolve to bring an end to this carnage."
It was the second mass shooting in California's capital this year. On Feb. 28, 39-year-old David Mora shot and killed his three daughters, their chaperone, and himself during a supervised visitation in a Church, officials said.
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There were 55 murders in Sacramento in 2021, a 31% increase over 2020, according to Sacramento Police Department data. The city also saw a 30% increase in rapes and a 27% increase in motor vehicle thefts.
It was the deadliest year for Sacramento since 2006, when 57 people were murdered, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Homicides surged 17% last year in four of California's major cities – Los Angeles, Oakland, San Diego, and San Francisco – according to a preliminary analysis of data by the Public Policy Institute of California.