SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A third deadly shooting near a downtown Sacramento area night-life venue on Sunday has community members shaking their heads and authorities calling for help from across the city in a message of self accountability.
According to Sacramento police, what started as a disturbance inside Barwest Midtown on Sunday later spilled outside and ended with a man’s death near 28th and J Streets, said Sgt. Zach Eaton, a department spokesperson.
“We’re tired of the gun violence in our city,” Sgt. Eaton said.
The department has taken steps to curb gun violence in the areas across the city being most impacted, including downtown, Sgt. Eaton said.
There were 16 police officers working in the downtown area during the hours gunfire erupted Sunday, according to police. They arrived just three minutes after shots rang out at the Midtown bar as patrons scrambled.
Authorities have seized 113 illegal firearms from suspects in the downtown area just this year, Sgt. Eaton said. Aside from ramping up patrols, working with community groups, area businesses and nightlife venues -- Even Sgt. Eaton admitted during a Sunday press conference, there is only so much police can do.
“Quite honestly, once somebody gets into a bar, with a firearm or a entertainment establishment with a firearm, it’s very hard for us to prevent that once that step has already been taken,” Sgt. Eaton said.
He and the Sacramento Police Department are calling on community members to step up and speak out before a past midnight scuffle ends in a person's death.
Area residents, visitors, business owners are stunned by the continued gun violence – especially off the heels of the shootout on K Street on April 3 that left six dead, 12 others were injured, according to the Sacramento Police Department.
“It’s a little scary, but I do feel like this area is still pretty safe but it’s just getting crazy how people are bringing guns around everywhere,” said Clarissa Kitto, owner of Nine 27 Salon.
The Midtown Association offered condolences and is speaking out after the violent incident.
“We want to thank our area bar owners for their quick action to prevent more violence, support our caring community, and applaud the Sacramento Police Department for their thorough investigative efforts that have led to the arrest of a suspect,” the association wrote in a statement. “Midtown is a hub of culture, creativity and vibrancy where everyone is welcome. We must come together to uplift the good in our community and stand up against violence in every form."
Long-time Sacramento activist, Berry Accius, with Voice of the Youth has made repeated calls for resources to the city’s most underprivileged neighborhoods.
“In this long-term problem, there’s not enough long-term solutions,” Accius said.
He says long-term funding for youth programs, mental health and gun violence prevention is the only way to solve what he describes as long-term issue.
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