In Downtown Sacramento on April 3rd, 6 people were killed and 12 injured in a mass shooting just after 2am, now there is an ongoing search for multiple shooters. This was the worst mass shooting in Sacramento’s history, occurring in a usually lively downtown but then transforming into a bloodbath leaving three women and three men dead. The shooting followed a horrific fight with a stolen handgun left at the scene. Police Chief Kathy Lester states that the violence that took place was “Unprecedented in my 27 years with the Sacramento Police Department.”
As details progressed and police revealed more information, it was revealed that the shooting was caused by two rival gangs and more than 100 bullets were fired as civilians ran to take cover. Reporting that at least five men from two different gangs opened fire but only three men have been arrested, while two of those men only face firearm charges at this time, not homicide. Once word of the shooting traveled, desperate terrified locals went downtown in hopes to seek relief from the police department. Many feared their loved ones were killed or injured. For Pamela Harris and Leticia, that fear turned into grief when Sergio Harris, Leticia’s husband was confirmed dead. Sergio is among five others, victims aging from 21 to 57, including three fathers, a sister, a landscaper, and a homeless woman searching for housing. I highlight the importance of keeping these all too frequent stories personable and remember how much value is in a single human life. Even if you did not personally know the victims or the innocent lives taken, this shooting was close to home and even when it is not, we have to keep the compassion and anger in our hearts to better our laws and our people.
Memorials were scattered on Sacramentos downtown streets with lit candles, photographs, cards and balloons. “Our community deserves better than this” says Councilwoman Katie Venezuela. Social media videos displaying bodies on the sidewalk appeared after the gunfire, and with that encountering a wave of fury and demand for increased gun control as gun activists around the world fight the persistent standstill of gun laws. Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter was killed in the Parkland, Florida school shooting tweets, “Another Sunday, Another Shooting with Mass Casualties.” Tiana Monaghan, Sophomore at San Marcos High School says,
“This was a horrible incident and we need to take action for stricter gun control.”
President Joe Biden as well showed the need for change while offering his condolences to the families and thanks to first responders stating,
“We must do more than mourn, we must act.”
Lilah is a sophomore at San Marcos High School
