'He Was Bright And Loving': Mom Remembers Josh Hoye, A Father Of 6, Who Was Killed In Downtown Sacramento Mass Shooting
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) -- The mother of one of the six people killed in Sunday's mass shooting in downtown Sacramento remembered her son Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, a father of six.
Sherilyn Hoye said she knows how the five other families feel to have lost someone in this way and then potentially find out through videos online.
"I just know my son is dead," she said.
That was her gut reaction when she saw her son in a video, laying on the ground of 10th Street. It was a video posted to social media that was shocking and hard to watch. It was especially traumatic for Sherilyn.
"He was laying on the ground dead," she said.
Even as a kid, Sherilyn said Joshua was protective. He was her only son and the joy of her life.
"He was bright and loving," Sherilyn said. "As a little kid growing up, he was very protective of me always, even as a kid."
The size of the crime scene was eight blocks. And hundreds of pieces of evidence made it an hours-long process to investigate for Sacramento police.
Sherilyn said her son's body was in the street for more than 12 hours. Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester told CBS13 it took time to process due to the scale of the situation.
"I don't understand that," Sherilyn said. "I felt terrible. I felt broken. I felt broken when I went down there."
A family assistance center opened at Cal Expo in a partnership with the city, the district attorney's office and American Red Cross. Families of victims who died can be connected to trauma resources and other appropriate services they may need.
On Monday, the Sacramento County Coroner's Office identified all six people killed in the shooting: 21-year-old Johntaya Alexander, 57-year-old Melinda Davis, 38-year-old Sergio Harris, 32-year-old Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 21-year-old Yamile Martinez-Andrade, and 29-year-old Devazia Turner.
So far, only one person, Dandrae Martin, 26, has been arrested. He faces charges of assault and illegal firearm possession.