How the mass shooting in Sacramento went down: What we know now

Brittny Mejia, Richard Winton, Jessica Garrison, Hannah Wiley
·2 min read
Investigators search for evidence in the area of a mass shooting In Sacramento, Calif. April 3, 2022. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
Investigators search for evidence in the area of a mass shooting in Sacramento. (Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press)

There are still many unanswered questions about the mass shooting in downtown Sacramento early Sunday that left six people dead and at least 12 others injured.

But the beginnings of a timeline and some other details are beginning to emerge.

Here's what we know so far:

Timeline

  • Gunfire erupted about 2 a.m.

  • The shooting occurred just as bars and clubs were closing and people were emptying into the streets.

  • One video captured a brawl involving numerous people that broke out on the street, followed by the sound of gunshots.

  • Police spokesman Zachary Eaton said “our investigators are still working through what actually led up to the fight. We understand there are some social media video out there depicting a fight. We don't know if that fight actually led to the shooting. We are still working through all those details right now.”

  • Eaton said police are looking for at least two gunman, perhaps more.

  • Witness Alexandra Arellano said she was about to walk outside of a club where she works when she heard one gunshot and then “around like 30 or 50 rounds being shot.”

  • Arellano's fiance, Jesse Fuentes, said he and another security guard heard a commotion at a nearby garage. “Once we went over there, it was pretty much a gunfight going on,” he said. “We were just trying to take cover because we couldn’t tell where the shots were coming from at first, because they were coming from two different areas. But the one that really just freaked everybody out was the automatic weapons. That’s when everyone was running and pushing.”

  • Sacramento Police Chief Katherine Lester said officers heard gunfire and arrived at the scene at 10th and K streets, roughly two blocks northwest of the state Capitol, where they found multiple shooting victims.

  • The Sacramento Regional Fire and EMS dispatch records offered insights into what happened. Initial dispatches refer to multiple shooting victims. Later, someone says, "We're going to have multiple 10-55s out here." 10-55 refers to someone dead.

Motive

  • A motive for the shooting was unclear, and investigators were not sure whether it was tied to any event going on at the time.

  • Authorities suspect that an unidentified person drove through the scene and opened fire on a crowd of people before fleeing, according to a law enforcement source. The official spoke to The Times on condition of anonymity to discuss the case candidly.

  • Several videos of altercations that may have preceded the shooting have been circulating on social media. Investigators suspect a physical confrontation may have prompted the shooting, according to a law enforcement source.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.