SACRAMENTO — The six people killed in a gunfight in downtown Sacramento over the weekend, one of the worst mass killings in the city’s history, were between the ages of 21 and 57, the county coroner’s office said Monday.
As of Monday morning, it was still unclear who was behind the shooting, which took place outside nightclubs in the early hours of Sunday morning. Police Chief Katherine Lester said several gunmen were involved.
The dead, three women and three men, were identified by coroners as Johntaya Alexander, 21; Melinda Davis, 57; Sergio Harris, 38; Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32; Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21; and Devazia Turner, 29.
Twelve other people were injured.
The shooting, which took place just a short walk from the state capitol, has stunned a city that has yet to recover from the pandemic. In Sacramento, particularly downtown, a number of restaurants and other businesses were forced to close, largely because state employees stopped commuting to downtown offices.
Most government employees in the city still work from home. Still, downtown Sacramento has seen a nighttime business revival in recent months, residents and business owners said.
“Everyone’s trying to go outside and have a good time, everyone’s tired of being inside,” said Anthony Montes, a manager at Rodney’s Cigar and Liquor, a store on the street where the shooting took place. Closing for the night at 11pm on Saturday felt an increased energy, Mr Montes said: “You could feel something. There were too many people around.”
Several popular, longstanding Sacramento amenities have been closed during the pandemic, contributing to a sense of eerie calm downtown, he said. But with mask mandates lifted in recent weeks, Mr Montes said, the local nightclub scene has boomed.
Sacramento residents said they were shocked by the sheer number of shots fired during the shooting. A local TV station analyzing video taken at the scene counted at least 76 gunshots in less than a minute.
“It woke me up and I thought there was a war out there,” said Anthony Ballard, who lives on the street where the shooting took place.
“I’ve lived here most of my life,” added Mr. Ballard. “That changed during the pandemic.”
Violent crime increased in Sacramento last year, particularly homicides. The city recorded 55 homicides, a 31 percent increase from the previous year and the highest homicide rate in 15 years.
Ms Lester, the police chief, said in a statement on Sunday that her department is investigating whether the shooting had any connection to a fight outside nightclubs on Sunday.
“We are aware of a social media video that appears to show an altercation that preceded the shooting,” Ms Lester said. “We are currently working to determine how these events relate to the shooting.”
A stolen firearm was found at the scene, Ms Lester said, adding that a police camera recorded parts of the attack.