A shooting rampage in downtown Sacramento early Sunday left six people dead, at least 10 wounded and fueled an intensive manhunt for the killer or killers.
Chief Kathy Lester said officers arriving at the scene around 2 a.m. found bodies on the street amid a large crowd gathered outside a string of bars and restaurants. Police initially reported “multiple victims” after the attack as they waded through the carnage counting casualties near the State Capitol.
Some of the wounded were transported by ambulance to hospitals, others went on their own or were taken by friends, Lester said. No information was provided on their conditions.
No arrests had been made and Lester said it the number of assailants was not known.
“If anyone saw anything, has video, can provide any information to the police department we are asking for their assistance,” she said.
Video posted on Twitter showed people running in the street with the sound of gunfire in the background. Multiple ambulances and other first responders were at the scene. Berry Accius, a community activist, said he arrived at the scene shortly after the shooting.
“A lot of victims with blood,” Accius told local news ABC10. “Just watching some of the families that didn’t know if their loved one was alive, running, trying to figure out what was happening, people distraught, people discombobulated. It was just horrific.”
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Authorities cordoned off the eight-block area not far from the Golden One Center – where the NBA’s Sacramento Kings play – and said the investigation was continuing. Lester, who did not give specifics on the type of gun used, said the area was “a very complex and complicated” crime scene.
Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg, in a series of tweets, called gun violence “the scourge of our city, state and nation.” He said Lester, who began the job two weeks ago, has made gun violence a top priority.
“Words can’t express my shock & sadness this morning,” Steinberg tweeted. “The numbers of dead and wounded are difficult to comprehend. We await more information about exactly what transpired in this tragic incident.”
The shooting comes a month after five people were killed when a man opened fire at a Sacramento church and killed his three children, then fatally shot himself, authorities said. A fifth person also died in the shooting.
Contributing: The Associated Press