SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A mass shooting connected to gang violence killed six people in downtown Sacramento back in April, and now police are investigating another deadly shooting near the same area.
Gun violence is a public health crisis that hurts everyone, but it impacts Black communities the most.
“I miss my son and I want justice,” said Tyease James.
James says someone shot and killed her son, Keyshawn Deams, in a car on June 7, 2020, in Sacramento. He was 21-years-old.
“Police told me that my son was shot on the freeway. They did not have any suspects, and they did not know too much of nothing,” James said.
She says the case is still unsolved.
“I've been waiting for two years with no answers, and I want the gun violence to stop,” James said.
Black people are disproportionately impacted by gun violence. Nationally, they’re 10x more likely to die by gun homicide than white people, according to Everytown.org.
In Sacramento, the city says the majority of gun violence victims are Black, accounting for 50%.
"I don’t know if we can put an end to gun violence in our communities, but we can reduce and minimize it,” said Mervin Brookins.
Brookins founded Brother 2 Brother Mentoring to do just that. Brookins says the program produced results through street outreach after the K Street mass shooting in April.
“You did not see any retaliation, spike in gang violence, or gang wars, so that was a testament to the work of Brother 2 Brother and other organizations throughout Sacramento,” Brookins said.
The city of Sacramento continues to work with community-based organizations like Brother 2 Brother to drive solutions aimed at reducing gun violence, but advocates say more funding is needed to support these efforts.
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