Woman killed in Pocket shopping center shooting. What witnesses told Sacramento 911 dispatchers

Ishani Desai
·2 min read
3

A woman was killed Wednesday after a bullet pierced her neck in a shopping center parking lot in the Pocket neighborhood when a vehicle drove by and fired a hail of bullets, according to radio dispatches from the Sacramento Police Department.

The victim’s friend reported to 911 dispatchers about 11:20 p.m. that her friend wasn’t breathing after being shot but she could feel the woman’s pulse, according to archived radio traffic reviewed by The Sacramento Bee. The woman had called for help following the incident outside Shari’s Cafe and Pies, 960 Florin Road, in the Lake Crest Village Shopping Center. Numerous callers to 911, according to radio traffic, reported hearing at least five to seven bullets ring out across the shopping center, which features several retailers including Nugget Market, followed by people screaming in the parking lot.

Sacramento police officers and firefighters were called to the 900 block of Florin Road just before 11:20 p.m. and took the woman to the hospital, said Officer Cody Tapley, a spokesman with the Police Department. She was pronounced dead at the hospital, he said.

The woman’s identity was expected to be released by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office.

According to the dispatcher audio, one caller reported that two black and gray vehicles suspected to be involved fled southbound toward Greenhaven Drive.

Tapley said no suspects had been arrested and that the investigation was ongoing. He declined to say if this shooting was a targeted incident or a random burst of violence.

A similar shooting happened in the shopping center that corners Florin and Greenhaven in September when a 43-year-old was gunned down. A suspect was arrested two weeks later; Amatari Mabinton remains in Sacramento County Main Jail and is charged with murder, carjacking and possession of a firearm by a felon. His next court hearing is March 4.

Residents with information about Wednesday’s incident are asked to call the police department at 916-808-5471 or Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at 916-443-4357. Callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a $1,000 reward.