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At least 18 people were shot early Sunday in downtown Sacramento, California, via ABC News. Six people were killed, and twelve were injured. Police said no suspects were in custody. Initial reports put the injured at ten, but officials said they identified two other victims.
The Sacramento Police Department said several streets in downtown Sacramento just blocks from the state Capitol building and the Golden 1 Center were closed as officers responded to the shooting. The conditions of the victims were not immediately known.
The shooting began at about 2 a.m. near the corner of 10th, and K Street in a popular nightlife area, Sacramento Police Chief Kathy Lester said at a news conference. Lester said police officers were in the area and heard the gunshot and that officers immediately responded and began providing medical aid to the victims.
"We had a large crowd in the area. We don't know if it was part of a club or an event," Lester said. She asked for the public's help in identifying the suspect or suspects involved in the shooting, saying no one was in custody.
Jesse Fuentes, a security guard who works at a club near the shooting, was outside when shots rang out.
"Once we went over there, it was pretty much a gunfight going on," he told the Los Angeles Times. "We were just trying to take cover because we couldn't tell where the shots were coming from at first because they were coming from two different areas. But the one that really just freaked everybody out was the automatic weapons. That's when everyone was running and pushing."
Lester said that investigators recovered a firearm from the scene. It is unclear if it was an automatic weapon or if automatic weapons were used in the shooting.
She said they had seen a video of an altercation that occurred before shots rang out.
"Investigators are working to identify those responsible for this horrific act. We know that a large fight took place just prior to the shootings. And we have confirmed that there are multiple shooters," Lester said during a news conference on Sunday afternoon.
"We are shocked and heartbroken by this tragedy, but we are also resolved as an agency to find those responsible and to secure justice for the victims and their families," she said.