Police in the California state capital have made an arrest in connection with Sunday’s mass shooting that left six people dead and at least a dozen others injured. In the hours after the bloodshed, police say they have received more than 100 videos or photos from the scene and executed search warrants on three homes.
They identified a 26 year-old man as one of the individuals arrested in connection to the shooting, in a press release. He has been charged with assault and illegal firearm possession offenses.
On Monday, authorities identified the six people killed in the shooting , as police searched for at least two shooters who opened fire in a crowd as bar patrons filled the streets at closing time on the outskirts of the city’s entertainment district.
The Sacramento county coroner identified three women who were killed as Johntaya Alexander, 21; Melinda Davis, 57; and Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21.
The three male victims were identified as Sergio Harris, 38; Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32; and Devazia Turner, 29.
The sound of rapid-fire gunshots at about 2am sent people running in terror. Twelve people were wounded in the neighborhood anchored by the Golden One Arena, which hosts concerts and the Sacramento Kings.
“My child is out there on that ground, you know? This don’t make any sense and there’s other people’s children that’s out there on the ground. And they won’t tell us nothing, and it’s heartbreaking,” said Pamela Harris, Sergio’s mother, told Sacramento’s local Fox affiliate on Sunday, shortly before police confirmed that her son was killed. “It’s heartbreaking to see what’s going on out here and they’re not telling us anything.”
Since Harris was identified, dozens of people have posted to his Facebook page to express their shock and disbelief at the sudden loss. He was killed alongside his cousin DeVazia Turner, whose father told the same news outlet that the two were out that night to enjoy themselves. “He was out just having fun with his friends,” Turner said. “There’s just nothing to say. I’m just here. I’m grief, that’s all – grief.”
The gunfire erupted just after a fight broke out on a street lined with an upscale hotel, nightclubs and bars and police said they were investigating whether the altercation was connected to the shooting. Video from witnesses posted on social media showed rapid gunfire for at least 45 seconds as people screamed and ran for cover, the Associated Press reported.
Small memorials with candles, balloons and flowers were placed Monday morning near the crime scene. One balloon had a message on it saying in part: “You will forever be in our hearts and thoughts. Nothing will ever be the same.”
Police say they recovered more than 100 shell casings at the scene and located several cars and buildings with bullet holes in them.
This mass shooting comes less than two months after a man shot himself after killing his three daughters – ages nine, 10 and 13 – and a man who was supervising a visit between the girls and their father at a Sacramento-area church. He was banned from owning a gun because of a domestic violence restraining order but was able to skirt the prohibition by getting a ghost gun, which is a firearm that is ordered in parts and can be assembled in a few hours with the help of a YouTube tutorial. They lack serial numbers and can be bought without a background check, making them nearly impossible to trace through traditional means.
This is just one of several mass shootings that have happened in northern California in recent years and have led to more calls for stricter gun legislation at the federal level.
Joe Bien has long been a champion of what many refer to as “common sense” legislation like universal background checks and has made ghost gun abatement a part of his administration’s public safety approach.
“Today, America once again mourns for another community devastated by gun violence,” Biden said Sunday. “But we must do more than mourn; we must act.”
California has more than 100 gun laws on the books that determine who can sell ammunition, where guns can be purchased, and the number of rounds any single firearm can legally hold. And cities like San Francisco, San Diego and Oakland have banned ghost guns and lodged lawsuits against manufacturers. Still, California lawmakers are continuing to create legislation, like the one modeled after Texas’ abortion ban that they hope will keep unregistered or illegally purchased guns out of people’s hands, cars and homes.
But the longtime partisan stalemate and lack of a permanent head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) is making it more difficult for Biden to put his campaign promises into practice and leaves gun regulation mainly to states to manage.
On Monday, Senator Dianne Feinstein joined the chorus of officials to call on Congress to pass new gun legislation. “Of course, this isn’t an isolated event. It’s the latest in an epidemic of gun violence that continues to plague our country,” Feinstein said in a statement.
“Enough is enough. We can no longer ignore gun violence in our communities. Congress knows what steps must be taken to stop these mass shootings, we just have to act.”