Gunshots Wake Deputies, Neighbors to Domestic Incident

A quiet Carmichael neighborhood was roused by the sounds of gunfire early Sunday morning, when a domestic dispute escalated into a confrontation between an armed husband and responding officers.

It’s unclear what provoked the ire of Kevin Lewis, a 41-year-old Carmichael resident living in the 5900 block of Stanley Avenue, but a “domestic verbal argument” with his wife unraveled when Lewis began firing rounds from a shotgun and large-caliber revolver into his front lawn and into the sky above around 4:30 a.m. that morning.

That’s when the calls to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department started pouring in.

“We got no less than seven calls when this incident was going on,” said sheriff’s spokesman Deputy Jason Ramos.

Ramos put the number of 911 calls from neighbors closer to 10, “which is refreshing,” he said.

After firing off several rounds, a revolver-toting Lewis began walking up the street from his home, followed by his daughter, whom two witnesses estimated was age “10 or under,” said Ramos.

According to a sheriff’s report, as deputies arrived to the scene, Lewis fired off one round from the handgun he was holding into the ground near his daughter’s feet.

Initially, Lewis refused deputies’ orders to drop his weapon and begged them to kill him. He eventually dropped the gun and an ammo belt containing several more rounds, but continued to resist, according to officers’ accounts. Deputies shot Lewis twice with a Taser before they were able to gain control and place him in custody.

The handgun Lewis dropped moments earlier was recovered with the hammer back, a round in the chamber and eight more rounds in the magazine. Officers also confiscated the shotgun and a Glock semi-automatic pistol.

Ramos said the sheriff’s department holds firearms for at least 30 days any time they’re linked to a domestic violence incident. An actual domestic violence charge isn’t necessary to justify confiscation.

There were 30 concealed weapons permit-holders in Carmichael as of Jan. 25, according to sheriff’s department records. That’s the most out of the unincorporated communities the department polices.

Lewis, who has yet to be arraigned, was charged with negligent discharge of a firearm, which can be prosecuted as a misdemeanor or felony, according to SHOUSE Law Group. He wasn’t charged with child endangerment, and it remains unclear whether the county’s Child Protective Services Agency would conduct its own investigation. A request for comment wasn’t returned before deadline.

No one but Lewis was injured in the shooting incident. He suffered minor facial abrasions and a large welt to his right eye when deputies wrestled him to the ground.

Teen targeted in home invasion

Sheriff’s investigators are also investigating a home invasion that took place four days earlier in Carmichael.

Shortly after 7 p.m. on Feb. 16, two teenage males approached a residence in the 6400 block of Rexford Way. One of the suspects tapped on the first-floor bedroom window at the front of the home, drawing the attention of the 14-year-old boy inside. It appears the victim initially thought he knew one of the suspects from the neighborhood and opened the window, Ramos said. Once inside, one of them displayed what the victim told authorities was a semi-automatic pistol and forced the victim to turn over his wallet. The second suspect stood outside, blocking the window. After the robbery, both fled on foot.

“We haven’t confirmed it was a handgun,” Ramos said. “(The suspect) displayed something.”

Ramos said robberies are a common crime in Sacramento County, forcing a taxed department to prioritize investigations by severity and solvability.