SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Another shooting in Del Paso Heights has the entire community, city leaders and organizations like Brother 2 Brother fed up with gun violence. A total of seven people were hurt in a shooting Wednesday night.
People in the area told ABC10 it's become somewhat of the norm to hear gunshots regularly. They're also aware nonprofits are doing what they can to prevent future gun violence, especially among the youth.
"All of the sudden we heard POW POW POW POW. I thought it was cherry bombs, but when the bullet went past my ear and tapped me upside the head, that's when I realized it wasn't fireworks," said Terris Payne, who was caught in the crossfire of Wednesday's shooting.
Sacramento Police say shots were fired around 10:30 p.m. Wednesday near the 1600 block of Grand Avenue.
"We are really fed up. We're fed up with the killings. We're fed up with the mental things that's going on and we're fed up with the drug abuse," said Tawana Johnson, who lives in Del Paso Heights and is a member of the Del Paso Heights Community Association.
Officers found two people at the scene and the other five at a hospital.
The cause of the shooting is under investigation, but the president of the Del Paso Heights Community Association has his own opinion.
"Some folks because of the mental strain... guns become attractive. Whereas if they were in a healthy environment and they didn't have the mental strains of life, they wouldn't be as attracted to guns or violence or anything of that nature," said Gregory Jefferson, president of the Del Paso Heights Community Association.
Just a few feet up the road, flowers and balloons can be seen as the community mourns 18-year-old Billy Scott. The high school student died a week ago after being shot in the leg.
Councilmember Sean Loloee says he's committed to figuring out what needs to be done to stop the violence.
"It's incidents like this that give the whole community a black eye. It's a phenomenal community and we've got to do more. We need to make sure we have enough police presence here to make sure that it minimizes some of these things," said Loloee.
Just moments into our interview, a driver actually took the liberty of doing a donut in the middle of the intersection and burning his tires.
Acts of violence like Wednesday night's shooting have organizations like Brother 2 Brother dedicated to helping their community.
"We just opened a building up. It's a safe zone building and it's right behind us. What we're going to be doing is summer programs with our youth. School's out now so from in the morning time they're gonna be coming in, having lunch, learning a little bit more curriculum, teaching them about gun safety," said Aaron Cardoza, the president of Brother 2 Brother.
The organization is planning to open up the free safe zone location in just a few days. ABC10 plans to be there when it happens.
At the same time, Loloee says he's planning on having a meeting with officials, organizations and community members as soon as Monday to discuss solutions.
WATCH MORE ON ABC10: Neighborhood Wellness working to heal the heart of Del Paso Heights
