SACRAMENTO, California — A man was stabbed to death in the Downtown Commons area outside Golden 1 Center Tuesday as people attended a Christian singer's concert. Upon leaving the event, they found crime tape, police officers and an active investigation as they tried to make their way home.
"We cannot prevent every tragedy from happening. I think it's important people look at the big picture," said Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg. "Obviously, (people) make their own decisions, but in the big picture, violent crime is down. Homicides are way down."
Just last month, Mayor Steinberg and Police Chief Kathy Lester were surrounded by city leaders and community-based organizations to announce that, overall in the city of Sacramento, violent crime had dropped 18% from the first nine months of this year compared to the same period last year.
"Our public safety is really a collective and a shared responsibility," Police Chief Kathy Lester previously told ABC10.
Compared to last year, homicides are down 40%, aggravated assaults are down 21%, rape cases are down 40% and robberies are down 6%.
"The only acceptable percentage for any of these crimes is zero, but the fact that there is a downward trend is something that we are very pleased about. We've got a police department and a police chief that is very focused on strategic policing," said Steinberg.
In regard to the deadly stabbing, police made an arrest less than 24 hours after the crime.
"We're always going to have these setbacks, and it's our job to make sure that we're doing everything we an to reassure people that our police department is present and that we're holding people accountable for criminal acts," said Steinberg.
The man killed was 22-year-old LaRonn Wilson.
"My son deserves justice. He did not deserve what happened to him," said Martha Wilson, the victim's mother.
23-year-old Malik Wilson, no relation to the victim, is in the Sacramento County jail in connection to the deadly stabbing. The family says the victim knew the man now suspected of killing him—when they were kids.
Sacramento police said both men were homeless, but Wilson's family said that wasn't true.
"He wasn't homeless. He had many doors. He has a lot of family. He was everything to me and my family. He was thoughtful, funny, cute," said Wilson.
LaRonn Wilson was a young father, who leaves behind small children. Meanwhile, the suspect is due in court on Friday. He faces a felony charge of murder and is being held without bail.
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