Sacramento police investigate death of man near Commerce Circle-area business park

Detectives are investigating a homicide after a man was found dead Thursday north of the American River near Johnston Business Park.

A little after 5 a.m., officers arrived to the area of Lathrop Way and Commerce Circle and found a man who “sustained critical injuries,” the Sacramento Police Department said in a news release.

He was declared dead at the scene, according to Sacramento Police Department spokesman Officer Karl Chan.

The cause of death is unknown. Police are investigating the circumstances, and no suspect information is available at this time, according to the release.

The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office will release the identity of the victim after notification of next of kin.

Commerce Circle an ongoing concern

No further information has been released on the victim, but homelessness is a major issue in the area.

At Commerce Circle, over 100 or so people live in cars, campers, trucks, utility vehicles and handmade hybrids.

Sacramento city Councilman Jeff Harris, who represents the area, told The Sacramento Bee in June that the solutions for the area will require a “tremendous effort.”

“... But I don’t think we have any choice,” Harris said to The Bee. “We will end up like Portland or Seattle otherwise. (Those cities) are so beleaguered, I’m not sure they will ever be able to climb out of it. I don’t want to let our city become so beleaguered that people start leaving our business districts. “

In fact, The Bee reported, several homeless campers said they were directed there by Sacramento police. Police evicted people like Erick Read, 48, and told him to go to Commerce Circle along Lathrop Way, effectively turning into a city of people on wheels.

This story was originally published July 22, 2021 at 10:13 AM.