SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Five people were shot, one of whom was killed, early Monday in downtown Sacramento, police say — the second mass shooting in the city’s core in three months.
Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester said the shooting took place outside the Mix Downtown nightclub at 16th and L streets as the club was closing down.
“What we know now is very limited and we hope to share more as this investigation continues,” Lester said. “Ultimately, we had five people who were shot as a nightclub was letting out in our area.
“Of the five, one is unfortunately deceased, and the other four are being treated at area hospitals,” she said.
Family and friends identified the fatal victim as Greg Najee Grimes, 31, a former football star at Boise State University who had returned home to coach and teach at Inderkum High School.
Lester said police received the first call about the shooting at 1:51 a.m. and that police believe the shooting took place outside along 16th Street, where dozens of blue evidence markers have been placed along the roadway and sideways on 16th Street between L and K streets.
“This appears to be outside and appears to have happened in the street,” Lester said.
No suspects are in custody and police are seeking the public’s help to determine what may have sparked the violence. Lester said police do not know whether there was more than one shooter.
Lester said the department is seeking tips and videos from the public and posted a QR code to the agency’s social media pages to allow the public to share any information.
‘I knew it wasn’t a firework’
Corey Everett, 25, said he was inside the Mix club early Monday when he heard a couple of shots.
“Somebody said it was fireworks, but I knew it wasn’t a firework,” Everett said. “People ran. I was a little feared, but I wasn’t that scared because of a couple of months. It’s happened before.”
Everett, who was at the scene at 6 a.m. trying to retrieve his car from inside the taped-off area, said police arrived almost immediately.
“They got there fast, super fast,” said Everett, a delivery driver who was celebrating a friend’s birthday at the club Sunday night.
Everett said he thought the shooting had occurred inside the club, that he heard “just a big ol’ bang. Bang, bang, bang.”
Everett said he and his friend were on the second floor of the club and ran to the back as security told them to get behind tables.
Eventually, everyone in the club was let out through back doors, he said.
Bill Keely, a Land Park resident who was out for a bike ride Monday morning, rolled up to the police tape to ask what had happened, and said shootings like Monday would not deter him from his regular rides.
“You can’t be controlled by this,” Keely said. “You try to use as much caution as you can. But you can’t let these people control your life.”
The shooting follows an April 3 gang shootout downtown that killed six people and wounded 12. Three suspects — brothers Smiley and Dandrae Martin and Mtula Payton — face murder and other charges in that incident.
“Whether it’s a mass shooting or an altercation that turns deadly, the root cause is the same,” said Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg. “The proliferation of guns and lack of adequate societal and mental health supports in our country means more people are armed and ready to pull the trigger. We all know this.
“I fully support our new Police Chief Kathy Lester as she launches a robust effort to get guns off the street and partner with community based organizations to intervene before someone shoots. I also implore voters and elected officials at all levels of government to treat gun violence as an emergency that requires an immediate and effective response.”
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