SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A shooting at Grant High School in North Sacramento left one dead, marking the 50th homicide of the year, Friday.
One man in his 20's was shot and killed in the high school’s parking lot during a football game against Elk Grove’s Monterey Trail High School.
Police say the shooting occurred after a disturbance involving around 20 people, not believed to be students, sometime before the football game ended.
None of the estimated 2,000 people in the stands watching the game were affected by the violence outside, according to Greg Jefferson, President of the Del Paso Heights Community Association and announcer for the football game.
"There was a lot of noise and you had the cheering of the crowd on both sides because it was quite an intense game," said Jefferson.
He says the cheerleaders, fans and marching band drowned out everything going on outside the stadium.
"When we got home and we heard the news that there had been a shooting in the parking lot during the game, we were stunned," said Jefferson. "We are very concerned about the effect of this event on the children on Monday."
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg is outraged at the recent rise in gun violence across the city, taking to twitter and speaking with ABC10 to voice his frustrations.
"What happened in north Sacramento last night is unacceptable," said Steinberg. "Here in our community, those who perpetrate acts of violence are going to be held accountable."
Steinberg noted the work that's being done to try and make the city a safer place.
"We're putting a significant amount of money into violence prevention, more activities for young people on Friday and Saturday nights," said Steinberg. "We're increasing our police presence in parts of the city."
Jefferson says finding a solution to curb gun violence isn't a one size fits all approach.
"There needs to be some data or some roundtable discussions," said Jefferson. "I think every neighborhood has its own contributing factors."
Twin Rivers Unified School District put out this statement about the shooting:
"We are absolutely devastated by the act of senseless gun violence that occurred Friday night in the parking lot at Grant Union High School, and we send our heartfelt condolences to the family mourning the loss of a loved one," the statement said. "It is essential to maintain a safe and secure environment for students, staff, families and community members. We wholeheartedly believe that the most important thing that all of us can do right now is to build a stronger sense of community in order to provide a safe environment for all. This is something we must work harder on, together."
According to the Sacramento Police Department's Year to Date Statistics, there were 57 total homicides in 2021 with 50 reported by October. This year the city is now at its 50th reported homicide with two months still left in 2022.
Homicides have continued to go up since 2020, data shows. Sacramento Police reported a 29% increase in homicide-related deaths between the year of 2020 and 2021, with the year 2020 ending with 44 homicides and 2021 ending with 57 homicides.
The Sacramento Police Department is still investigating the homicide and are asking witnesses and those with information to come forward by calling investigators at (916) 808-5471.
Watch more from ABC10: California Association of Realtors apologize for racist 1960s campaign
