(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — A father of four. An optimist friend. A vivacious partygoer. The six people who were killed during a mass shooting in California’s capital city were remembered by their friends and family Monday as police worked to piece together what happened.
Early Sunday morning, dozens of gunshots were heard in Sacramento. Three women and three men died and 12 others were injured. Small memorials were placed at the crime scene on Monday with balloons, candles and flowers.
Investigators were searching for at least two shooters who were responsible for the violence on the outskirts of the city’s main entertainment district that occurred as bars and nightclubs were closing. Sacramento police said Monday that they booked Dandrae Martin, 26, as a “related suspect” on charges of assault with a deadly weapon and being a convict carrying a loaded gun. He was booked into jail without bail, according to Jail Records. His appearance in court was set for Tuesday. Martin may not have had an attorney who could represent him.
Investigators are still combing through what Police Chief Kathy Lester calls a “complex crime scene” and have not made any details public. More than 100 video and photo clips have been provided by witnesses.
Six people were killed, according to the Sacramento County coroner. They were Johntaya Alexander, 21; Melinda Davis, 57; Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21; Sergio Harris, 38; Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32; and De’vazia Turner, 29.
Penelope Scott, a mother of De’vazia Turner (one of the victims in the mass shooting), holds a selection of photos from her family. She was speaking to The Associate Press, Elk Grove, Calif. on Monday April 4, 2022. The shooting had already claimed the lives of multiple people.
Rich Pedroncelli–AP
De’vazia Turner, 29
De’vazia Turner had four young children, including a 3-year-old daughter named Penelope with sticky fingers. His bright yellow Mercedes CLS was clean.
Turner was born in Sacramento and grew up playing football until his knee injury. Turner was a manager in an inventory company. He kept an eye on his mom’s purchases and informed her when they were going on sale.
“He was a protector,” his mother, Penelope Scott, said. “Raising him as a single mom, you know, he took the role of being the man of the house. He took care of everything.”
Frank Turner was his father, and he worked out five days per week. When they weren’t pumping iron, they were probably talking about cars. They both had old Buicks – Turner’s was a 1973 while his dad’s was a 1970 – and Turner had big plans for his. Turner had just purchased a new stereo, and a steering knob with cherrywood finishing.
Frank Turner said he plans to finish his son’s car, including painting it to include images of De’vazia’s face for his kids to see.
“I want them to see their daddy when they see that car,” Frank Turner said.
De’vazia visited his mother on Saturday, eating leftover pork chops and taking a shower before briefly falling asleep on her couch. When he woke up, he said he was going out – a rarity for him, because he works so much, Scott said.
Scott woke up at around 1 a.m. and couldn’t get back to sleep. When she was checking her phone, her son died.
“Your kids are supposed to bury you. You’re not supposed to do that,” she said. “I’m grateful that he has a legacy with his children. However, you know, he’s 29. He didn’t make it to 30.”
Frank Turner’s last encounter with his son came at an auto shop while they were working on cars. After his son’s death, a friend called Frank Turner and told him the shop’s security cameras had picked up their conversation.
He watched the video — a father and son spending time together on something they loved — and he cried.
Johntaya Alexander, 21
Alexander was only a few days shy of turning 22, her father revealed to the Los Angeles Times. She was celebrating her birthday at the close of the month.
John Alexander reported that her dream was to work with children as a social worker and be an aunt.
His daughter’s name was a combination of his own and his older sister’s, he told the Times.
“She was just beginning her life,” he told the newspaper, sobbing. “Stop all this senseless shooting.”
Melinda Davis, 57
Davis was a “very sassy lady” who lived on the streets of Sacramento near the shooting site, The Sacramento Bee reported.
Shawn Peter was a Downtown Sacramento Partnership guide who knew Davis 15 years ago. She told the newspaper she’d been homeless for 10 years and had lived here on and off for the past decade.
Peter stated that although she was assisted by officials to find her housing prior to the outbreak, she has returned to downtown in the last few months. A small bouquet of purple roses with a note saying “Melinda Rest In Peace” was left on the street in her memory.
“Melinda was a very eccentric individual, a very sassy lady,” he told the newspaper. “This was her world, 24/7.”
Maryhouse was a daytime home for homeless women, and Davis frequented the center from 2016-2018, according to Shannon Stevens, an email to The Associated Press. Stevens described her as a kind and outgoing person, but she was not comfortable in large crowds. Her goal was to find housing.
“This was a space she came to find respite from the trauma of living on the streets of our city,” Sacramento Loaves & Fishes, which runs the Maryhouse program, said in a statement.
Sergio Harris, 38
Family members described Harris as “the life and soul of the party”, and he was often seen at London’s nightclub, which is close to the scene for the shooting.
“My son was a very vivacious young man,” his mother, Pamela Harris, told KCRA-TV. “Fun to be around, liked to party, smiling all the time. Don’t bother people. This is insane. I’m just to the point right now, I don’t know what to do. I don’t even feel like this is real. I feel like this is a dream.”
His family members congregated at the crime scene Sunday after they hadn’t heard from him for hours. Harris was identified later that day by the Coroner.
“This is a sad and terrible act of violence that took the lives of many,” his wife, Leticia Harris, told KCRA-TV. “I want answers so I can have closure for my children.”
Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21
Martinez-Andrade was shot in the face by her friend. according to KXTV-TV.
She was described as someone who “brought light to the room,” the station reported, and had a positive outlook.
“There was never a dull moment with her. She was a brilliant person. Everyone misses her so much,” her best friend, who was not named, told KXTV-TV.
Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32
One block away from the shooting, a memorial was created with blue and white balloons and candles. Two empty Hennessy bottles were also left. On the ground, someone wrote “Josh” in what appeared to be blue paint.
“I love and miss you. Foreva n my heart!” someone wrote in black marker on a white balloon shaped like a star. “Things will never be the same,” read another balloon.
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