Six People Killed And 12 Injured In Shooting In Sacramento, US, Police Name Several Perpetrators

Ilustrasi. (Unsplash/David by Diemar)

JAKARTA - Sacramento, California, U.S. Police said on Sunday that several shooters were involved in the early-morning violence, in which six people were killed and 12 injured but the suspects are still at large.

Police Chief Kathy Lester gave no information about a suspect or a motive for the shooting, a few blocks from the state capital, as bars closed and revelers took to the streets.

"We know that a major fight broke out shortly before the shooting, and we have confirmed there were multiple shooters," Lester told a news conference.

Lester said three men and three women were among those killed. However, he did not identify any of the victims.

The shooting took place around 2 a.m., Lester said, near the Golden 1 Center, an arena where the Sacramento Kings basketball team plays and a concert is held.

Police said in a statement that they had found at least one weapon at the scene and had found 12 victims "with varying degrees of injury."

Officers sealed off several blocks and the scene was plastered with blue and red plastic cones marking evidence. Relatives wait outside police lines looking for news of the loss of a loved one.

Among them was Pamela Harris, who said her daughter had called her at 2:15 a.m. to say her 38-year-old son, Sergio, had been shot and killed outside a nightclub.

"He said he was dead. I just passed out," Harris said. She admitted that she was still waiting for official confirmation from the police.

"I can't leave here now until I know what happened. I'm not going anywhere. It seems like a dream," she continued.

Meanwhile, community activist Berry Accius said he rushed to the scene shortly after the shooting.

"The first thing I saw was a young woman covered in blood and other people's blood. She just got on the phone saying 'My sister is dead! My sister is dead!'," said Accius, whose Voice of the Youth leadership program is focused on preventing gun violence. In response to these events, President Joe Biden said the United States once again mourned the communities injured by gun violence. He called on Congress to pass stricter gun laws.

"Prohibit ghost guns. Requires background checks on all arms sales. Ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. Remove weapons manufacturers from liability," President Biden said in a statement.

It is known that the shooting location was recently revitalized as an entertainment center. Over the past week, the pandemic masks have started to come off and bars and restaurants have begun to fill with people who have long been isolated by COVID-19.

"The number of dead and injured is difficult to understand. We await further information on what exactly happened in this tragic incident," Mayor Darrell Steinberg wrote on Twitter.

"Increased gun violence is the scourge of our cities, states, and nations, and I support all actions to reduce it."

To note, shootings also rocked Sacramento more than a month ago, when a man killed his three children and another victim, before then taking his own life.