Shortly after 5 p.m. PST on Monday, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a worker reporting gunfire inside The Church In Sacramento, located in the Arden-Arcade area.
Authorities shared that the gunman was a 39-year-old father who shot and killed his three daughters in the main sanctuary of the church before taking his own life during a supervised visit. All three children were under the age of fifteen: aged 9, 10, and 13.
A fourth victim, who was also shot and killed by the gunman, is believed to be the chaperone for the children during the supervised visit.
KCRA3 News reported that their LiveCopter3 witnessed first responders carrying one of the victims through the church’s parking lot and attempting to resuscitate them. However, they were ultimately unsuccessful.
An unknown amount of people were inside the church at the time of the shooting, but no one else was harmed. It is unclear what type of activities were taking place at the church during the time of the shooting.
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Sacramento County Sheriff’s spokesperson Sgt. Rod Grassmann said that the shooter’s wife had a restraining order against her husband and was not present. Due to the restraining order, the deceased suspect should not have legally had access to a firearm.
In early reports, news agencies reported the fourth victim to be the shooter’s wife and mother of their three children, but according to ABC10 News, the mother was not present, had been notified, and was on her way to the scene.
Grassmann said the sheriff’s office is treating the shooting as a domestic violence related incident and have not released any names at this time.
After the deadly shooting, California’s governor Gavin Newson took to Twitter to express his thoughts regarding the horrific event. “Another senseless act of gun violence in America,” Newsom wrote. “This time in our backyard. In a church with kids inside. Absolutely devastating. Our hearts go out to the victims, their families and their communities. We are working closely with local law enforcement.”
Sacramento’s mayor Darrell Steinberg posted, “This is an unspeakable tragedy. It happens too often, and tonight it happened in our backyard. First thoughts are with the victims and their families. Same to the first responders who have to confront such a horrible scene. Will say more as we learn more.”
