Sacramento County marked by 3 homicides in 30 hours

Are homicides across Sacramento spreading the sheriff's department thin?

SACRAMENTO COUNTY -- There were three homicides in 30 hours within the limits of Sacramento County. 

The first homicide was reported to law enforcement on Wednesday afternoon in Fair Oaks on Kenneth Avenue. A man was found with a gunshot wound, and he was pronounced dead on the scene. His two roommates — a mother and her son — were arrested.

Then, hours after, at around 5 p.m., there was another report of a shooting. This one saw 45-year-old Kevin Keil, according to his family, being shot in the neck and pronounced dead at the scene on Alder Avenue

The third homicide, Thursday afternoon, involved an unhoused man who was shot and killed, It was reported to law enforcement by a neighbor who lived in apartments on La Mancha Way. 

The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office has three homicide investigation teams made up of anywhere from five to 15 investigators, more if required. 

On Wednesday, two of the homicide investigations overlapped briefly, keeping investigators at the first scene before they could get to the second — separated in distance by around 16 miles. 

Does an apparent uptick in homicides mean investigators are spread too thin? 

"Having these three homicides in 30 hours, while not unprecedented, it doesn't happen often. They're fully equipped to handle," said Amar Gandhi, a spokesperson for the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office. 

Gandhi said the back-to-back homicides, similar in that they all involved a firearm, can be attributed to the time of year and the nice weather. Though it doesn't happen often, this time of year, is typically more active when it comes to crime.

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