Man killed in shooting at South Land Park shopping center, Sacramento police say
A man was shot and killed Sunday night in front of a liquor store in a South Land Park shopping center in Sacramento.
Officers responded around 7:30 p.m. to the 5900 block of South Land Park Drive following a report of a shooting, the Sacramento Police Department said in a news release.
Sacramento Fire Department personnel pronounced the victim, who had at least one gunshot wound, dead at the scene.
The Police Department said no suspect information was available, and that the circumstances leading up to the shooting remained under investigation.
The shooting happened at South Hills Shopping Center, drawing a large law enforcement presence Sunday night as authorities investigated in the parking lot and investigators canvassed businesses.
The victim’s identity will be released by the Sacramento County Coroner’s Office pending notification of family.
On Monday morning, employees at the shopping center and a nearby resident were still somewhat shocked by the fatal shooting.
“It’s usually a quiet place here,” said Carol Toscano, who works at Land Park Salon. “It’s safe, I mean I feel fine walking to my car in the evening.”
Toscano wasn’t at work Sunday evening when the man was shot because the hair salon was closed.
Lane Uda, who works at South Hills Hair Studio, also wasn’t at work when the shooting occurred. He was back at work Monday morning in the front hair styling station, looking out the window and pointing to a stain on the sidewalk that appeared to be blood.
“It’s a little shocking. It was pretty surprising when we heard about it,” Uda said.
Both Uda and Toscano said the shooting occurred just outside Mike’s Liquor store. Two employees in the store also said the fatal shooting occurred in front of the business, but they were not working Sunday evening and didn’t know what might have led to the gunfire.
Christina McCarty has lived near the shopping center for more than 20 years. She was there Monday morning walking her two dogs. She said it seems like crime has increased in the neighborhood in recent years.
“It didn’t surprise me, considering how crime has gone up here,” McCarty about the Sunday night homicide. “What did surprise me was the hour that it happened, when there’s people here coming for dinner.”
McCarty said neighbors report attempted home break-ins with smashed windows, and other South Land Park residents often post about thefts on the social media app Nextdoor. She also spoke about a 7-Eleven convenience store clerk who was shot to death during an apparent robbery last year in South Land Park.
The store clerk, Gurpreet Singh, 31, of Stevenson Ranch, died in the Feb. 22 shooting at the 7-Eleven store at 1199 43rd Ave. Police later arrested three people in connection with the deadly robbery that occurred about 3:20 a.m.
Singh’s death was among 57 homicides reported last year in Sacramento, police said. That’s the most homicides the city has had since 2006, when there were also 57 homicides, according to crime data compiled by the FBI.
The Police Department asked anyone with information about this fatal shooting to call officers at 916-808-5471 or Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at 916-443-4357. Tips can also be submitted confidentially through the P3 Tips website and app.
This story was originally published January 3, 2022 at 7:21 AM.
