SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The deadly shooting on K Street has left businesses in downtown Sacramento striving toward making people feel safe when they visit the area. But it hasn't been easy.
Some businesses along K Street have closed their doors, but some are still holding strong, hoping to make the downtown area a safe place to visit.
The shooting happened April 3, 2022, and has been forever etched into the minds of many.
"For us it was all the aftereffects. It was the clean up. It was a memorial, which was a constant reminder. It was people down here. And it was, I mean, it was a horrible thing to have happened," said Ross Rojek, co-owner of Capital Books.
Rojek and Veni Lalsharma run their respective businesses just feet away from where 18 people were shot, and six people lost their lives.
"It's scary when things like that -- you hear about it. It scares you," said Lalsharma.
Businesses that were still struggling to get back on their feet after the pandemic were hit hard by that violent night.
"It's what I call the 'violence tourism.' You know, people wanting to come down and see where the bullets have hit and the light post and stuff like that," said Rojek.
A year later, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg says the city has taken major steps to not only make downtown visitors feel safe but to prevent another mass shooting from taking place.
"Whether it's the hiring of the nighttime services manager to make sure that security and safety is coordinated among all the businesses and the city, whether it's increasing our police presence downtown, we now have regular downtown entertainment teams and bike officers," said Steinberg.
Business owner have also been noticing the changes.
"They have more partnership people walking around making sure," said Lalsharma. "They even come in the store and ask, 'Everything is good?' What can they do to help out."
Rojek said the downtown partnership also brought security to the Downtown Commons (DOCO).
"It's important that the law enforcement and the bar community work together and make sure that this thing doesn't happen," added Lalsharma.
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