Victim of fatal Natomas High shooting identified. 16-year-old suspect arrested
Update: Sacramento County prosecutors declined to file homicide charges in the fatal shooting at Natomas High School, saying a 16-year-old student acted in self-defense during a violent attempted robbery. Authorities said the victim, De’Jon Sledge, 16, had entered campus with a handgun seeking another student when he was shot.
Original story:
A 16-year-old suspect was arrested in connection with last week’s fatal shooting near Natomas High School, Sacramento police said.
Police announced the arrest Tuesday, saying that the boy was expected to be charged with “a number of felony firearm-related charges” after being detained the night before as a person of interest.
The arrest came a day after De’Jon Sledge, 16, was identified by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office on Monday as the victim of the shooting and classes resumed on the Truxel Road campus.
A statement released on behalf of his family by EMPACT, a Sacramento nonprofit advocacy group, described him as an honors student who was focused on his academics and improving his grades.
“My son’s life did not deserve to be taken from us,” the statement, written by Sledge’s mother, read.
In the statement, Sledge’s mother asked the community to “refrain from spreading false narratives” about him and said he was not affiliated with any gang.
“My son was caring. He was passionate. He was determined to walk the right path,” the statement read. “Did he make mistakes? Of course, just like any other teenager in this world. But anyone who truly knew my son knew what kind of person he really was.”
A GoFundMe was also posted on behalf of the family to ease “unexpected financial burdens” in the wake of Sledge’s death. By Tuesday morning, they had raised more than $2,000 toward a $7,000 goal.
Officers responded shortly after 3:30 p.m. Friday to a reported shooting in the 3200 block of Truxel Road, near the Natomas High School and Discovery High School campuses, about 10 minutes after classes had been dismissed.
Police spokesperson Officer Anthony Gamble said Friday that the teen victim was not an active student at either school but attended a “nearby school” and was on campus in an open area at the time of the shooting.
Police said late Monday that a “person of interest” had been detained in the shooting but did not provide additional details. Authorities have not said whether that individual is the same person who was later arrested.
Authorities have yet to confirm whether the suspect attends Natomas High School or has any connection to the campus, though investigators previously said the shooter was believed to be a student there.
Gamble said Friday that Sledge may have been intentionally targeted, though the motive remains under investigation.
Natomas High School had an increased presence of safety teams and the Sacramento Police Department on campus Monday, as well as mental health professionals, chaplains and community partners, according to a statement from the district’s spokesperson.
“We are grateful for the tremendous outpouring of support from across the region,” the district’s statement read. “Natomas is a strong and connected community, and together, we will navigate this difficult time.”
Officer Allison Smith, a spokesperson for the Sacramento Police Department, said an officer has been temporarily assigned to the school during school hours “to provide an added measure of reassurance and visibility,” and law enforcement has increased its presence in the area this week during drop-off and pick-up times for the school.
On Friday, officers searched a nearby apartment complex, Natomas Village Apartments, located across the street from the school at 3200 Truxel Road. Dozens of people gathered outside the complex, along the campus lawn and into the street, including a trio of women crying out for the person sought by police to surrender.
“Put your hands up. Your mama’s right here. Come on out. Put your hands up,” one of the women pleaded as another woman sobbed beside her. “They’ve got guns everywhere. Come out, man.”
Late Monday evening, police said they had detained a “person of interest” in the shooting but did not offer other details, including a possible motive for the shooting.
This story was originally published April 13, 2026 at 4:25 PM.
