1 Suspect Arrested After 6 Killed in Sacramento Shooting

An arrest has been made in connection to the Sacramento shooting in which six people were killed and 12 others were injured. (Photo: adamkaz via Getty Images)

An arrest has been made in connection to a deadly mass shooting in downtown Sacramento early Sunday morning that left six people dead and 12 others injured.

Sacramento Police have identified 26-year-old Dandrae Martin as a suspect. According to a police report, Martin was arrested on assault and illegal firearm possession charges.

The Sacramento County coroner identified the victims as Johntaya Alexander, 21; Melinda Davis, 57; Sergio Harris, 38; Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32; Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21, and De’vazia Turner, 29, according to The Associated Press.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D)described the shooting as a “horrendous act of gun violence” in a statement issued hours after the tragedy.

The massacre, which took place in the early hours of the morning, occurred in a section of the city filled with bars and restaurants, Sacramento news station KXTV reported.

Newsom said his administration will “continue to work closely with local and state law enforcement as we monitor the situation.”

“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 hisstatement. “The scourge of gun violence continues to be a crisis in our country, and we must resolve to bring an end to this carnage.”

Police officers were conducting a routine patrol when they heard to the sound of gunfire and encountered a large crowd and the victims, according to the Sacramento Police Department.

“Officers began lifesaving measures to multiple victims on [the] scene,” police said in a news release. “Despite these efforts, six victims were pronounced deceased at the scene.”

Four of the victims were taken to UC Davis Medical Center, while another victim was taken to Sutter Hospital, reported KCRA Channel 3 in Sacramento.

At least one firearm was recovered from the scene, the Sacramento Police Department reported.

A video has surfaced on Twitter appearing to show the shooting. In that video, a number of people can be seen fighting until gunfire begins, sending people running from the scene.

Police said in a press release that they were investigating a social media video that “appears to show an altercation that preceded the shooting” to determine whether it was related.

During a press conference, newly appointed Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester saidthe scene of the shooting was “very complex and complicated” and urgedresidents to contact police with any information via the police department’s website.

People gathered downtown on Sunday as they sought answers about the whereabouts or conditions of their loved ones.

“I just think it’s a damn shame that the Sacramento Police Department hasn’t confirmed anything to any of the families,” Pamela Harris said in an interview with KCRA at the time. “I’m not standing out here to be nosy. I want some answers.”

Harris later found out her son, Sergio, was one of the six people killed.

“My son was a very vivacious young man,” Harris told KCRA. “For this to happen is crazy. I don’t know what to do. I don’t even feel like this is real. I feel like this is a dream.”

A number of community leaders have spoken about the tragedy, including community activist Berry Accius, who was on the scene after the shooting.

“The first thing I saw was like victims,” Accius told The Associated Press. “I saw a young girl with a whole bunch of blood in her body, a girl taking off glass from her, a young girl screaming, saying, ‘They killed my sister.’ A mother running up, ‘Where’s my son, has my son been shot?’”

Sacramento Mayor Darryl Steinberg also released a statement in response to the shooting.

“Words can’t express my shock & sadness this morning,” Steinberg tweeted.

Echoing Newsom, Steinberg noted that gun violence was on the rise in Sacramento.

“Rising gun violence is the scourge of our city, state and nation, and I support all actions to reduce it,” he added. “Our new Police Chief, Kathy Lester, has made it a top priority, and I stand firmly behind her.”

Sacramento City Council member Katie Valenzuela, who represents District 4, where the shooting occurred, said it was one of many violent incidents she has encountered since taking office in 2020.

“I got the call no elected official wants to get,” Valenzuela tweeted. “Another shooting. More lives lost. The national gun violence epidemic has hit our community - again.”

A deadly mass shooting occurred just one month earlier, when a man opened fire on his three daughters and one other person, then killed himself at a Sacramento church.

The Sacramento Kings basketball team, which plays at the Golden 1 Center, near the shooting site, expressed its condolences in a statement Sunday morning.

“Our community grieves as we mourn those lost today senselessly killed by gun violence,” the team said. “Our prayers are with those who have been wounded and heart goes out to all the families in anguish affected by this devastating act.”

This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.

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