Rash of violence: 3 stabbings, 2 shootings in 24 hours in Sacramento
SACRAMENTO — A string of stabbings and shootings in Sacramento left one person dead and more than five people injured – and it all happened within a 24-hour period.
"There's a lot of hurt people out there," said Daniel Coronado, who lives in Sacramento. "It's always tragic to see when that hurt turns on other people."
At around 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday, a clerk at a convenience store on Auburn Boulevard got stabbed by a homeless man. A worker there on Thursday told CBS13 that a homeless man asked for a pack of cigarettes, and then things escalated.
"He reached into a display case where there were knives and actually grabbed a knife and threw it at the clerk," said Sergeant Amar Gandhi with the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office.
At around 11:30 p.m. on Wednesday, shots were fired on Del Paso Boulevard and W. El Camino Avenue, leaving one person dead and another wounded. The Sacramento Police Department said the two victims knew each other. Police are still searching for the suspect.
Loved ones of the man who died placed candles at the corner of the scene on Thursday. They told CBS13 that the man was in his late 20s and they want justice for him and other lives that have been lost in this neighborhood.
At 11:45 p.m. on Wednesday, chaos broke out at a large gathering at a venue on Watt Avenue.
"There were up to 70 people fighting in the parking lot," said Sgt. Gandhi.
Gandhi said, when they arrived, they found a person was stabbed with a screwdriver. They are still working on identifying a suspect but believe most of the people at the event knew each other.
At 12:45 a.m. on Thursday, the end of the busy night came with a call that someone shot their roommate in their condo on Woodside Lane. Deputies took the roommate into custody, but have not identified him.
Just after noon on Thursday, two people were stabbed at 10th and K Streets in Downtown Sacramento. It happened inside an apartment building.
Sacramento police said the two victims are expected to survive and the suspect is in custody.
Each incident was isolated, but Sgt. Gandhi said the violence is a societal issue and there is not one way to solve it. He believes it will come down to voters to toughen up crime laws.
"There's mental health issues at play. There's drug abuse problems at play. There are really poor laws that leave criminals out on the streets," said Sgt. Gandhi.
We got a similar response from Sacramento residents.
"Mental health and drug addiction combined," said Kristina Kelley, who lives near one of the stabbings.
Locals are confident the community can change for the better.
"Sacramento's worth fighting for, and this is not the type of fighting I think anybody wants to see," said Coronado.
If you witnessed any of the five incidents that happened between Wednesday and Thursday, contact the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office or Sacramento Police Department.
