(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — At least 18 people were injured, six fatally, when a mass shooting erupted early Sunday in downtown Sacramento, California, and police said no suspects were in custody.
The Sacramento Police Department said several streets in downtown Sacramento just blocks from the state Capitol building and the Golden 1 Center where the Kings NBA team plays were closed as officers responded to the gun violence. The conditions of the victims were not immediately known, police said.
Three of the deceased are men, and three are women, Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester said during a press conference Sunday afternoon. The victims were identified by the Sacramento County Coroner’s office on Monday as Johntaya Alexander, 21; Melinda Davis, 57; Sergio Harris, 38; Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32; Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21; and Devazia Turner, 29.
A fight took place just before the shootings, and there were multiple shooters, Lester said, adding that is not currently known whether the shooters were a part of the same party or were unknown to each other.
Investigators are interviewing several witnesses and sifting through hundreds of pieces of evidence, Lester said.
BREAKING: Police are seeking public help in identifying suspects in fatal Sacramento shooting that killed six people: “We now have confirmed that we had six people killed… an additional 10 people were transported or self-transported to area hospitals.” https://t.co/VluksVWZTC pic.twitter.com/GtpPUzCbP4
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The shooting came just several hours after one person was killed and 10 people were injured when gunfire erupted at an outdoor concert in Dallas, Texas.
The Sacramento shooting broke out about 2 a.m. near the corner of 10th and K Street in a popular nightlife area, Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester said at a news conference.
Lester said police officers were in the area and heard the gunshot.
“We had a large crowd in the area. We don’t know if it was part of a club or an event,” Lester said.
She said officers immediately responded and began providing medical aid to victims.
In a statement Sunday afternoon, police said six people were fatally shot and another 12 were injured and taken to hospitals.
Lester asked for the public’s help in identifying the suspect or suspects involved in the shooting, saying no one was in custody.
Pamela Harris of Sacramento told ABC News that her son, Sergio Harris, a married father of two daughters, was among those killed. She said she went to the scene of the shooting at about 2:30 a.m. after getting a call from someone who is not in law enforcement, informing her that her 38-year-old son was among those killed.
“My son was a very vivacious young man, fun to be around, liked to party, have fun, smiling all the time, didn’t bother people. For this to happen … it’s crazy,” Harris told reporters at the scene. “I’m just to the point right now I don’t know what to do. I don’t even think this is real. I feel like it’s a dream.”
President Joe Biden released a statement Sunday night, condemning the shootings and calling on Congress to pass measures to combat gun violence.
“Today, America once again mourns for another community devastated by gun violence,” Biden said in a statement. “Families forever changed. Survivors left to heal wounds both visible and invisible.”
“Ban ghost guns. Require background checks for all gun sales. Ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Repeal gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability,” Biden’s statement continued. “Pass my budget proposal, which would give cities more of the funding they need to fund the police and fund the crime prevention and intervention strategies that can make our cities safer.”
Community activist Berry Accius of Voice of the Youth said he arrived at the scene at about 2:30 a.m. after a city council member called him about the shooting.
“It was just horrific,” Accius told ABC affiliate station KXTV in Sacramento. “Just as soon as I walked up you saw a chaotic scene, police all over the place, victims with blood all over their bodies, folks screaming, folks crying, people going, ‘Where is my brother?’ Mothers crying and trying to identify who their child was.”
Video posted on Twitter showed people running through the street as the apparent sound of rapid gunfire could be heard in the background.
“Please avoid the area as a large police presence will remain and the scene remains active,” police officials said in a statement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it is assisting the Sacramento Police Department in the investigation.
Sacramento police asked anyone in the area at the time of the shooting to submit to investigators any photos and video, or other evidence linked to the violence.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg condemned the shooting during a news conference Sunday afternoon in downtown Sacramento.
“This is a senseless and unacceptable tragedy. And I emphasize the word unacceptable,” Steinberg said. “Thoughts and prayers are not nearly enough. We must do more as a city as a state and as a nation. This senseless epidemic of gun violence must be addressed. How many unending tragedies does it take before we begin to cure the sickness in this country? Let us be honest, this is a sickness.”
California Gov. Gavin Newsom and his wife, Jennifer, issued a statement, saying he was monitoring the shooting and that his administration is working closely with law enforcement.
“Sadly, we once again mourn the lives lost and for those injured in yet another horrendous act of gun violence. Jennifer and I send our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and to the wider community impacted by this terrible tragedy,” Newsom’s statement reads. “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. The scourge of gun violence continues to be a crisis in our country, and we must resolve to bring an end to this carnage.”
ABC News’ Matthew Fuhrman, Julia Jacobo and Nick Kerr contributed to this report.
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