(CALMATERS) – As new details emerge about Sacramento’s Sunday morning massacre that left six dead and 12 wounded — police said Wednesday that the shooting involved at least five gunmen and appeared to be gang-related — Democratic and Republican officials continue to propose different methods for tamping down gun violence. Today, GOP assemblymembers are set to join law enforcement officers and crime victim advocates to call for “the restoration of gang and gun enhancements, higher penalties for felons in possession of firearms” and an end to “California’s early release policy that puts criminals back on the street after serving just a fraction of their sentence.”
- The three men arrested so far in connection with the shooting were all charged with possessing a firearm despite being prohibited from having one, and one suspect — Smiley Martin — in February won early release from a 10-year prison sentence for domestic violence and assault with great bodily injury.
- Sacramento County District Attorney and attorney general candidate Anne Marie Schubert, whose office vehemently opposed Martin’s early release, noted Wednesday that Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration will next week hold a public hearing on proposed regulations that could result in the early release of thousands of violent offenders.
Meanwhile, Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg joined Democratic lawmakers and social justice advocates Tuesday to urge the Newsom administration to funnel $3 billion into violence prevention programs, including grants to help connect former inmates to jobs and housing. Steinberg also said the city plans to use $8.1 million in federal funding on safety measures including improved lighting and youth outreach workers.
“Over-reliance on incarceration worsens the conditions that create violence and does nothing to actually prevent crime in the first place. We know what works, and we know what doesn’t work to protect our communities from harm.”
State Sen. Maria Elena Durazo, a Los Angeles Democrat