SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The man suspected of shooting his three children and a fourth person to death inside a Sacramento church Monday afternoon was the subject of a temporary restraining order that should have prevented him from having a firearm, but such orders can do little to stop someone bent on violence against a spouse.
The 39-year-old gunman, who authorities say shot himself after killing his three children and another person at The Church on Wyda Way on the border of Sacramento and Arden Arcade, was taking part in a supervised visit with the children — girls age 9, 10 and 13 — at the time, according to authorities.
It’s a process designed to ensure the safety of all involved in domestic violence situations.
But even the existence of a court order can do little to stop a person bent on mayhem, according to Faith Whitmore, chief executive officer of the Sacramento Regional Family Justice Center, which counsels victims of domestic violence.
“They do everything they can do and it still happens,” Whitmore said in the wake of the mass shooting. “If someone has a restraining order, they are not supposed to have weapons.”
Authorities had not yet released the identity of the shooter, but a law enforcement source who was not authorized to speak about the incident said the gunman had no history of past criminal offenses in Sacramento.
Whitmore said her center focuses on telling clients that they need to take more steps to ensure their safety than relying on a court order limiting contact with a former spouse or partner.
“At the Family Justice Center, we tell people a restraining order is only a piece of paper and is not going to keep you safe,” she said. “Only safety planning will, and we do a lot of safety planning. It’s incumbent upon a person to have a very strong, clear, impactful safety plan in place.”
For clients with concerns about their safety, the center conducts a 20-question “lethality assessment” asking whether the partner has weapons, abuses alcohol or drugs, has threatened suicide or has other warning signs.
“We help that person understand, you’re really in danger,” Whitmore said.
But in the case of Monday night’s massacre, Whitmore said, it appeared as though the mother of the slain children did everything possible.
“She did everything right,” Whitmore said. “She got a restraining order, she asked for supervised visits so her children would be safe and supervised in the presence of this person she was afraid of.
“And still he did what he did. I don’t think there’s anything else she could have done.”
In a supervised visit, an estranged spouse is allowed to see their children in a public setting with a social worker or relative present to ensure the safety of children. The Sheriff’s Office said the mother was not present at the visitation and had rushed to the church to speak with authorities after the shooting.
“This is the absolute worst thing anyone can do to each other,” Whitmore said. “This is the worst kind of violence that anyone could perpetrate on another person as a way of getting back at a partner or spouse. but to his own children?
“How is that woman going to continue to live. It’s just the worst type of thing anyone could do.”
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The National Domestic Violence Hotline provides confidential assistance to anyone affected by domestic violence through a live chat and a free 24-hour hotline: 800-799-7233.
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