Girlfriend of suspect in Z Town nightclub shooting in Elk Grove taken into custody

Elk Grove police have arrested the girlfriend of the man wanted in the weekend Z Town nightclub shooting that left one dead and three others wounded.

Thao Kim Tran, 25, was taken into custody by Elk Grove officers Tuesday afternoon, suspected of being an accessory to a crime, department officials said Wednesday afternoon. She also faces a charge of assault with a deadly weapon, according to booking records.

Tran is scheduled to appear on the charges Thursday in Sacramento Superior Court. Tran is being held without bail in Sacramento County Main Jail.

Her boyfriend, Roderick Bernard Randall, 43, of Sacramento, remains at large and is considered armed and dangerous, according to police. He is described as 5-foot-7, 173 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. Randall is also known by the aliases Roderick Brian Randall and Fatso Irving, said California Department of Justice officials.

Elk Grove police are urging people not to approach him and to call 911 immediately if he is seen.

Justice officials said Randall is considered unhoused and is a registered sex offender following 2003 convictions for lewd and lascivious acts with a minor and pimping a minor under the age of 16.

“Hopefully, somebody provides a piece of information that leads us to him,” said department spokesperson Sgt. Jason Jimenez on Wednesday. “You see his actions and his criminal history — he has a propensity for violence.”

Elk Grove detectives confirmed that Randall, 43, and another person inside Z Town Asian Gastro Bar on Elk Grove Florin Road were arguing before the deadly shooting, authorities said in announcing the arrest Wednesday.

An 18-year-old man died at the scene. A 34-year-old man and a 26-year-old man were taken to a hospital for treatment, police said. A fourth victim, a 25-year-old man, drove himself to a hospital later that morning.

The 26-year-old and 25-year-old victims are expected to survive. The third 34-year-old victim remains in critical condition, said Elk Grove police.

Detectives identified Randall as the suspected gunman through their probe into the shooting at the nightspot on the 8400 block of Elk Grove Florin Road. Randall has an extensive criminal history including a 2014 conviction in Sacramento County for premeditated attempted murder in a gang-related 2012 shooting outside a 65th Street Expressway shopping center in south Sacramento that left one person dead and wounded another.

The strip mall was a known hangout of the KZT and Viet Pride street gangs, authorities said at the time.

Randall, then 29, was one of four men found guilty in the 2012 shooting and was sentenced to 88 years to life in state prison. Changes to California sentencing law prompted Randall’s release in 2023, his convictions “overturned and dismissed,” said officials at Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office.

Sacramento County District Attorney’s officials in a statement Tuesday cited a 2019 law that “eliminated criminal liability for murder and attempted murder for aiders and abettors who were convicted under the theory of natural and probable consequences,” in explaining Randall’s release from state custody.

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation into the shooting.

Elk Grove Police Department is asking anyone with credible information about Randall’s whereabouts or the incident to call the department at 916-714-5115 or Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at 916-443-4357.

This story was originally published November 5, 2025 at 12:42 PM.

Darrell Smith

The Sacramento Bee

916-321-1040

Darrell Smith is a local reporter for The Sacramento Bee. He joined The Bee in 2006 and previously worked at newspapers in Palm Springs, Colorado Springs and Marysville. Smith was born and raised at Beale Air Force Base and lives in Elk Grove.