Newsom, Leaders React To Mass Shooting In NorCal

SACRAMENTO, CA — Authorities were on the hunt for possibly two gunmen who fatally shot six people and injured 12 others as bars and nightclubs were closing under dark early morning skies Sunday.

The incident, which left three men and three women dead, is the 12th mass shooting in California this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

"Thoughts and prayers aren't nearly enough," Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg told reporters on Sunday morning. "...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."

The shooting happened just two blocks from the state Capitol and was decried by top political officials.

READ MORE: 6 Dead, 12 Injured In Downtown Sacramento Shooting

"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," Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote in a statement. "The scourge of gun violence continues to be a crisis in our country, and we must resolve to bring an end to this carnage."

The governor said his administration was working with law enforcement to locate the gunmen.

Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg tweeted: "Words can’t express my shock & sadness this morning. The numbers of dead and wounded are difficult to comprehend. Rising gun violence is the scourge of our city, state and nation, and I support all actions to reduce it," he said.

"We will do everything to support the families," he later said a news conference Sunday morning.

The shooting carried out less than a mile from the Golden 1 Center, where the Sacramento Kings will host the Golden State Warriors at 6 p.m.

"Our community grieves as we mourn those lost today senselessly killed by gun violence," according to a Kings statement. "Our prayers are with those who have been wounded and our heart goes out to all the families in anguish affected by this devastating act."

Councilmember Katie Valenzuela, who represents the area where the shooting happened, cried at a news conference as she told reporters that the latest phone call to report a violent shooting woke her up at 2:30 a.m.

“I’m heartbroken and I’m outraged,” she said. “Our community deserves better than this.”

Sen. Alex Padilla also weighed in on the shooting.

"Horrified and deeply saddened by the gun violence we witnessed this morning in Sacramento," he said. "My prayers are with the victims and their families — and the entire Sacramento community. Our team is continuing to monitor the situation closely as we await further updates."

Around 2 a.m. on Sunday, police patrolling the area heard gunshots. Upon arrival, they found a large congregation of people in the street along with three women and three men who were killed, Police Chief Kathy Lester told reporters. Sgt. Zach Eaton, a police department spokesman, said investigators believe there were at least two shooters.

The suspects were still at large and authorities said they had found a stolen handgun and were reviewing video footage posted to social media that showed what appeared to be an altercation before the gunfire erupted. Detectives were trying to determine the sequence of events before the shooting and Eaton said they “don’t know if that fight actually lead to the shooting.”

A police camera captured part of the shooting, Lester said, and investigators have located hundreds of pieces of evidence amid a scene that Lester described as “really complex and complicated" — so much so that the bodies of the victims remained on the street hours later.

"We are aware of a social media video that appears to show an altercation that preceded the shooting," Sacramento Police wrote on Twitter. "We encourage any community members with related video to follow the link/QR code below to submit the video to SPD.

At a news conference Sunday morning, members of the Sacramento City Council called on people with information or video to submit it to the Sacramento Police Department through its evidence portal for the shooting.

Residents were asked to avoid the downtown area, which is packed with restaurants and bars, including the London nightclub, where shots rang out just outside.

Sergio Harris, a 38-year-old father of three was identified as one of the six people who died, his mother Pamela Harris confirmed with KCRA.

"My son was a very vivacious young man," Harris told the station. "Fun to be around, liked to party, smiling all the time. Don't bother people. For this to happen is crazy. I'm just to the point right now, I don’t know what to do. I don’t even feel like this is real. I feel like this is a dream."

Kelsey Schar, 18, was staying on the fourth floor of Citizen Hotel when she said she heard gunshots. She walked to the window and “saw a guy running and just shooting,” Schar told The Associated Press.

She saw flashes from the gun in the dark.

Madalyn Woodard, 17, who was also staying at the same hotel, said she saw a crowd of people sprinting down the street. She saw one girl who appeared to have been shot in the arm and lying on the ground. Security guards from the nightclub rushed to help her.

“These security guards from the nightclub I think it was where she was right by, they brought, like napkins. I could see the bloody napkins they were using," Woodard said.

Kay Harris, 32, told the Associated Press she was asleep when one of her family members called to say they thought her brother had been killed. She said she thought he was at London.

Harris said she has been to the club a few times and described it as a place for “the younger crowd.” Bars and clubs close at 2 a.m. and it's normal for streets to be full of people at that hour.

She has spent the morning circling the block waiting for news.

“Very much so a senseless violent act,” she said.
Steve Hicks was staying at the Citizen hotel with his fiancé and two daughters after attending a Tyler the Creator concert at the Golden One Center. He said he did not hear gunshots but the sirens woke him up.

Police have the streets around the club closed, with yellow police tape fluttering in the early morning breeze.

Berry Accius, a community activist, said he came to the scene shortly after the shooting happened.

“The first thing I saw was like victims. I saw a young girl with a whole bunch of blood in her body, a girl taking off glass from her, a young girl screaming saying, ‘They killed my sister.’ A mother running up, ‘Where’s my son, has my son been shot?’“ he said.

UC Davis Medical Center received five patients from the downtown shooting, spokesperson Stephanie Winn said. She would not give their genders or conditions, referring media to police.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.