Six people were killed and 12 injured in a shooting early on Sunday as bars and nightclubs were closing in central Sacramento. Police in California's state capital are searching for at least one suspect.
Sacramento Police chief Kathy Lester said at a news conference that police were patrolling the area at about 0200 local time [0900 GMT] when they heard gunfire. When they arrived at the scene, they found a large crowd gathered on the street and six people dead. Another 12 either took themselves or were transported to hospital. No information was given on their condition.
Ms Lester called it “a really tragic, unfortunate situation” and said police did not know if it was a lone gunman or multiple suspects, and asked for the public’s help in identifying the shooter.
The Sacramento Police Department said on Twitter. “Please avoid the area as a large police presence will remain and the scene remains active.”
Sacramento mayor Darrell Steinberg said: “Words can’t express my shock & sadness this morning. The numbers of dead and wounded are difficult to comprehend.”
And he added in a second tweet: “Rising gun violence is the scourge of our city, state and nation, and I support all actions to reduce it. Our new Police Chief, Kathy Lester, has made it a top priority, and I stand firmly behind her.”
Ms Lester said investigators did not yet know if the victims were targetted and did not give any information on what kind of weapon was used in the shooting, describing it as “a very complex and complicated scene”.
“We had a large crowd in the area. We don’t know if it was part of a club or an event,” Ms Lester said.
And she added: “We are asking for the public’s help. If anyone saw anything, has video or can provide any information to the police department, we are asking for their assistance.”
Sacramento police now say they have recovereda gun believed to have been used in the shooting.
California governor Gavin Newsom condemned the “carnage” caused by gun violence in the US in a statement on Sunday.
“Sadly, we once again mourn the lives lost and for those injured in yet another horrendous act of gun violence. Jennifer and I send our heartfelt condolences to the family, friends, and to the wider community impacted by this terrible tragedy,” he said.
“As it is early in this investigation, my Administration will continue to work closely with local and state law enforcement as we monitor the situation.
“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. The scourge of gun violence continues to be a crisis in our country, and we must resolve to bring an end to this carnage.”
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,” Ms Schar said. She saw flashes from the gun in the dark, she said.
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,” Ms Woodard said.
Community activist Berry Accius told the Associated Press: “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?’”
“You know, commotion, trauma. It’s just a lot of things that, you know, you don’t want to see,” he added.
The violence was the latest in Sacramento. Last month, a father killed his three daughters, a chaperone and himself in a church during a weekly supervised visitation. David Mora, 39, was armed with a homemade semiautomatic rifle-style weapon, though he was under a restraining order that barred him from possessing a firearm. His daughters were 13, 10 and 9 years old.
The Associated Press contributed reporting
