California shooting: six people were killed and ten others were injured

At least six dead and nine injured left a shooting that occurred early Sunday in the city of Sacramento, California, police said.

Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester told a news conference that police were patrolling the area around 2 a.m. when they heard gunshots. When they arrived at the scene, they found a large crowd gathered on the street and six people killed. Another 10 took themselves or were transported to hospitals. No information was given on their conditions.

Authorities do not know if one or more suspects were involved and are asking for the public's help in identifying who is responsible. Lester did not elaborate on the type of weapon used.

This is “a very complex and complicated scene,” he said. Lester issued a plea to the public, asking witnesses or anyone with recordings of the incident to contact the police.

Shortly after the shooting, a video was posted on Twitter showing people running down the street amid the sound of rapid gunfire. The video showed several ambulances at the scene.

In a tweet published shortly after 04H00 am, the authorities had called for avoidance of the area of events, “since a large police presence will remain and the scene remains active.”

The shooting occurred in downtown Sacramento - the capital of the state of California, on the west coast of the United States - which has many bars and restaurants, including the London nightclub.

Kay Harris, 32, said she was asleep when one of her family members called to say they thought her brother had been killed. She said she thought he was in London.

Harris said he has been to the club several times and described it as a place for “the youngest crowd”. Bars and clubs close at 2 a.m. and it's normal for the streets to be crowded at that time.

He spent the morning hanging around the block waiting for news.

“To a large extent, a senseless violent act,” he said.

The police have the streets around the club closed, with yellow tape.

Berry Accius, a community activist, said he arrived on the scene shortly after the shooting occurred. “The first thing I saw were as victims. I saw a girl with a lot of blood on her body, a girl removing the glass, a girl screaming, 'They killed my sister. ' A mother running, 'Where is my son, has my son been shot? '” , he said.

This is the latest mass shooting in the United States, where firearms cause about 40,000 deaths a year, including suicides, according to the Gun Violence Archive website.

A laxity in the laws on access to weapons and the right to carry them guaranteed by the Constitution hinder attempts to reduce their circulation, despite polls indicating that a majority favors greater controls.

Three-quarters of all homicides in the United States are committed with firearms, while the number of guns, revolvers and other firearms continues to increase.

In 2020, more than 23 million weapons were sold, a record number, and another 20 million in 2021, according to data compiled by the Small Arms Analytics website.

This number does not include so-called “ghost” weapons, which are sold unarmed and lack serial numbers, and are therefore highly regarded in criminal circles. In June 2021, 30% of American adults said they possessed at least one gun, according to a Pew survey.

(with information from AFP and AP)

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