Davis police confirm multiple shooting suspects in the incident
By YUENJO FAN — city@theaggie.org
The Davis Police Department has released more details regarding the shooting that occurred at Community Park on Picnic Day, April 12.
In a released update, Davis police confirmed that multiple shooters were involved in the incident that left a 24-year-old and two teenagers injured. The Davis Police Department does not believe that the shooting poses a continued threat to the Davis community. One of the perpetrators is described as a Black male adult between 20 to 25 years old and under six feet tall with an average build. The suspect was last seen wearing a black hoodie, black pants and a face mask.
The shooting occurred in the afternoon at a block party hosted by the Davis chapter of the Phi Beta Sigma fraternity. On April 16, the fraternity released a statement addressing the shooting.
“Our hearts go out to all those affected by the incident at Community Park during Picnic Day,” the statement reads. “Like many of you, we are awaiting [for] further information and updates. As we respectfully await the Davis Police Department’s investigation, we too are feeling the impact of this occurrence. Our event has always been a space for unity, celebration and joy. It is never our intention for anyone to feel unsafe or endangered. As UC Davis students, we share the concerns surrounding the situation.”
The Phi Beta Sigma fraternity did not respond to The California Aggie’s request for further comments.
Additional details such as the multiple suspects’ whereabouts, number of rounds fired and motives have not yet been released to the public by Davis police. Lieutenant Dan Beckwith of the Davis Police Department provided more information regarding the current state of the investigation.
“It’s an active investigation, so things are unfolding and we’re still talking to witnesses,” Beckwith said. “We’re still attempting to locate videos and photos that might have been taken. We don’t want to compromise an active investigation by releasing information that may tip off suspects. We’re also discovering new things every day, […] so it’s also a responsibility of being able to release accurate information.”
Beckwith also mentioned the Davis Police Department’s intentions of addressing ways to prevent incidents in the future.
“What we’re doing right now is we’re reevaluating our process for providing security to events that happen within the city,” Beckwith said. “We’re looking for ways to improve how we approach these things moving forward, we’re having a lot of conversations between ourselves and the university with that regard and trying to make improvements as we see fit.”
Davis Mayor Bapu Vaitla and Councilmember Josh Chapman released a joint statement on April 17, reassuring the city of their support for the community during this moment of rare violence.
“Our priority as elected officials is first and foremost to protect people,” the statement reads. “When an event like this occurs, we must identify areas of improvement and take immediate steps to examine how we can do better. […] We are committed to working closely with [the Davis Police Department] and our staff team to examine that process and make improvements. This means that the scale and type of future gatherings must be commensurate with the ability of our Police Department to enforce the law and protect our community.”
The Davis Police Department has requested that any information about the shooting be emailed to tipline@davispd.org.
Written By: Yuenjo Fan — city@theaggie.org
