Suspect in fatal south Sacramento shooting and manhunt identified

Police have identified the man they say shot and killed a woman Tuesday and subsequently led law enforcement on a manhunt through south Sacramento.

Damion Horton, a 20-year-old Sacramento resident, is accused of shooting and killing a woman on the 7800 block of Orchard Woods Circle on Tuesday before 9:30 a.m., according to Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Sgt. Shaun Hampton in a news release Wednesday.

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

The shooting victim – identified by family and friends as Dajha Richards, 19 – suffered a gunshot wound to the upper body and was taken to a hospital where she died, according to the Sheriff’s Department.

After the shooting, Horton is accused of fleeing the scene with a handgun. SWAT teams and K9 police searched for several hours, but ended the perimeter about 1 p.m. Tuesday without locating him, according to a tweet by the department.

Horton is described as a black male with black hair and brown eyes, 6-foot-2 and 160 pounds.

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

Anyone with information about Horton’s whereabouts is encouraged to contact the department at (916) 874-5115.

This story was originally published January 9, 2019 at 11:42 AM.