SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Former Disney stars and pop duo Aly & AJ released a song last week recounting their experiences hearing the 2022 Sacramento mass shooting from their tour bus and calling for U.S. gun reform.
Aly Michalka, 35, and AJ Michalka, 33, came out with “Sirens” on Wednesday. The sisters performed on April 2, 2022, at Crest Theatre along K Street hours before at least five gunmen killed six people and wounded 12 in a mass shooting around 2 a.m. April 3, 2022.
“Our bus was caught in the crossfire, but we sheltered in place and everyone in our touring group is (OK),” the pair wrote later the day of the incident on Twitter, now X. “All of our thoughts are with the families of those who lost their lives and those recovering today. We’re praying for the health care workers caring for them. We hope all our fans made it home safe.”
The song, “Sirens,” reflects on their feelings the day of the shooting and how they’ve processed it since then, AJ Michalka said. It is also part of the sisters’ larger campaign advocating for gun reform in America, which included a recent visit to the White House.
“If you want to see gun control changes in your state and the assault weapon ban reinstated, choose a candidate who will support laws that make our kids safer,” the band wrote Saturday on Instagram.
Police said more than 100 rounds were fired during the shooting based on the number of shell casings recovered, according to the Associated Press. Explosions of gunfire heard on videos posted online had the ring of semi-automatic or automatic weapons.
A stolen handgun reportedly found at the scene had been converted to a weapon capable of automatic gunfire.
“It could've been sirens over my body,” Aly Michalka vocalizes in the “Sirens” pre-chorus. “It could've been me. Instead, it's sirens over their bodies.”
Then, the song addresses gun control.
“Another day in America, we wait around for the change that never comes,” the duo sings. “Another day in America, a mother lies on a sidewalk with her son.”
In addition to performing as a pop duo with her sister, AJ Michalka starred as Lainey Lewis, a friend of Erica Goldberg, on ABC’s “The Goldbergs” from 2014-2023 and led its spinoff “Schooled” from 2019-2020.
Aly Michalka starred as Peyton Charles, the main character’s roommate, on the CW’s “iZombie” from 2015-2019. She also played Phil Diffy’s best friend on the Disney Channel show “Phil of the Future” from 2004-2006.
The sisters costarred in their own Disney Channel original movie, “Cow Belles,” in 2006, where they played characters working to identify the culprit who emptied the company accounts of their family’s business.
K Street shooting: 2 years later
Six people were killed and 12 hurt on April 3, 2022, in Sacramento during what police said was a shootout between rival gangs as bars closed and patrons crowded the streets blocks away from the California state Capitol.
The victims killed included Melinda Davis, 57; Johntaya Alexander, 21; Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21; Sergio Harris, 38; Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32; and De’vazia Turner, 29.
Documents filed by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office in April 2022 said Harris, Hoye-Lucchesi and Turner were affiliated with gangs.
Suspects Dandrae Martin, Smiley Martin and Mtula Payton were taken into custody at separate points within days of the incident. Dandrae and Smiley Martin were brothers.
On June 8, Smiley Martin died in custody at Sacramento County Main Jail, ABC10 previously reported. His cause of death was a methadone overdose, the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office said earlier this month.
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