SWAT teams continue manhunt for suspect in deadly south Sacramento shooting

The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department is actively searching for a suspect after a Tuesday morning shooting killed a woman in south Sacramento.

The shooting occurred in the 7800 block of Orchard Woods Circle before 9:30 a.m., according to the department.

Update: Suspect in south Sacramento shooting turns himself in, mother arrested

The suspect is a black male in his late teens or early 20s who was seen fleeing the scene armed with a handgun, according to a Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Shaun Hampton.

SWAT teams and K9 police searched for several hours, but ended the perimeter about 1 p.m. without locating a suspect, according to a tweet by the department.

The woman suffered a gunshot wound to the upper body, Hampton said. When deputies arrived, they administered first aid to the woman, who was talking to deputies, Hampton said. She then lost consciousness and was taken to a hospital where she was later pronounced dead, Hampton said. On Wednesday night, friends and family identified her as Dajha Richards, 19, during a vigil outside her home on Orchard Wood Circle.

In a news release late Tuesday, Hampton said detectives do not believe the shooting was random but do not know why she was targeted. Hampton said it’s believed the shooter and woman knew each other but that detectives are unclear on their relationship.

Deputies are asking for anyone with information to call the Sheriff’s Department at 916-874-5115 or Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at 916-443-4357 (HELP).

This story was originally published January 8, 2019 at 9:51 AM.