Davis police continue search for suspect in Picnic Day triple shooting
DAVIS — The search for a suspect continues Monday in Davis after a shooting at Community Park caused chaos as thousands celebrated UC Davis' beloved Picnic Day tradition on Saturday afternoon.
Davis police say two teenagers and a 24-year-old woman were shot, and all are expected to be OK.
"I don't want to talk badly about Picnic Day. The scene here was not Picnic Day," said Erin Dunning, who heard the shots ring out Saturday.
On Monday, Davis police described this as an "all hands on deck" and "round-the-clock" investigation, teaming up with the Yolo County Sheriff's Office and the FBI to shut down parts of Community Park once again.
They were searching all afternoon and into the late evening Monday for any left-behind evidence with metal detectors, including bullet shell casings and anything that could lead them to a suspect.
At this time, Davis police do not have a reliable suspect description to provide to the community but assure they are chasing down every lead and canvassing nearby neighborhoods looking for any home surveillance video that could point them in the right direction.
A UC Davis Phi Beta Sigma fraternity event was permitted to be ongoing in the park when those shots rang out. Davis police could not confirm a connection but said the student group is part of their investigation and they are cooperating with police.
On Sunday, Davis' mayor and police chief put out a joint statement stating that based on preliminary evidence, the shooting appeared to be targeted and "...was not motivated by a desire to randomly harm community members. Due to the large number of potential witnesses and evidence, the investigation process will take time."
Also in Davis on Monday afternoon, two scenes unrelated to the shooting caused an additional stir.
Patwin Elementary School was briefly put on lockdown because of a connection to a Davis police investigation at an apartment complex a half mile away on Shasta Drive.
Following a domestic violence incident, one man was arrested.
"I heard that a lady almost got stabbed. We hear about the picnic shooting and now this. It's just making me more anxious about my safety in Davis. Davis is always known as a safe place, and it's sad that that is changing," said Daniella Nkereuwem, a resident of the apartment complex.
Anyone with information on the Community Park shooting can contact Davis PD at 530-747-5400 or policeweb@cityofdavis.org.
