Shootings have surged in Sacramento over the past month, killing nearly a dozen people and injuring dozens of others, including a 13-year-old child.
Detectives with the Sacramento Police Department and Sacramento Sheriff’s Office have investigated 60 shootings since May 22, more than twice the number they investigated over the same time period last year, the agencies said in a joint statement released Tuesday. The incidents have resulted in 11 homicides, nine in the city of Sacramento alone.
The statement said the uptick in violence stems in part from gang members, though they did not elaborate.
Two law enforcement officials, however, told The Sacramento Bee that incidents had risen as gang members began coming out of hibernation from the stay-at-home orders triggered by the coronavirus pandemic. The sources, who were not authorized to speak on the matter, said gang members also used the knowledge that police were busy elsewhere during protests in the wake of the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis to carry out personal beefs.
They pointed to one particularly gruesome attack where one person was killed and four others, including the teen, were targeted. Sheriff’s officials publicly said the June 10 shooting on Della Circle in the Florin neighborhood of south Sacramento was targeted. Officials have not released additional information on a suspect or a motive.
The two law enforcement sources also pointed at the fact that $0 bail led to some gang members deciding they stood little chance of remaining in custody for some alleged crimes.
188 guns seized by officials in month
The region’s two largest law enforcement departments — which police the city of Sacramento, the unincorporated neighborhoods of Sacramento County and Rancho Cordova — also reported taking 188 firearms off the street since late May.
The Sacramento Police Department said Tuesday it was investigating 17 shootings, involving at least 30 victims, from May 22 through June 21. Officers responded to six shootings and six homicides during the same time period last year, according to the department.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office was investigating 43 shootings and two homicides that occurred from May 22 through June 21. Deputies responded to 20 shootings and two homicides during the same 30-day span in 2019.
Officials said homicide and gang detectives continues investigate these shootings.
Law enforcement response to gun violence
Sgt. Sabrina Briggs, a police department spokeswoman, said the department has added extra patrols throughout the city and encouraged residents to report suspicious activity, including gunfire, by calling 911.
Sgt. Tess Deterding, a Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman, encouraged residents to report suspicious activity to the sheriff’s communication center and work collaboratively with deputies and detectives to halt the recent gun violence.
Anyone with information about the recent shootings within the city limits is encouraged to call officers at 916-808-5471 or Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at 916-443-4357. Tips can also be submitted confidentially through the P3 Tips website and app.
Anyone with information about the recent shootings in the sheriff’s jurisdiction is encouraged to call deputies at 916-874-8477 or Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at 916-443-4357. Tips can also be submitted confidentially through the P3 Tips website and app.
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