Sacramento man sentenced for federal gun charge in UC Davis Picnic Day shooting
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- A federal judge sentenced Joseph Allen Davis to two years and six months in prison.
- Davis pleaded guilty to being a convicted felon in possession of a gun.
- Prosecutors said Davis was a shooter at the UC Davis Picnic Day event in 2025.
A federal judge on Thursday sentenced a 20-year-old Sacramento man to two years and six months in prison for being a convicted felon in possession of a gun in connection with a shooting that wounded three people at a UC Davis Picnic Day event last year.
Joseph Allen Davis faced a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine for his role in the April 12, 2025, shooting at Rainbow City Park in Davis. In a plea agreement filed in December, federal prosecutors said they would recommend Davis be sentenced to “the low-end of the applicable guideline range for this offense.”
Investigators identified Davis as a shooter at the UC Davis Picnic Day event last year, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sacramento. Gunfire erupted shortly before 3 p.m., sending people running for safety in the crowded park.
Two teens and a 24-year-old were injured in the shooting, which occurred at the close of one of Davis’ signature events — the annual open house for the University of California, Davis.
Picnic Day has been a tradition in Davis since 1909 in what UC Davis calls the “crown jewel” event of its campus. It serves as the annual open house for the campus with some 70,000 attendees and includes a parade, battle of the bands, fashion show and student organization fair.
Officials in the city of Davis have announced they’re planning a significantly expanded law enforcement and emergency response presence for this year’s UC Davis’ Picnic Day, which is scheduled for Saturday.
On the day of the 2025 shooting, a fraternity hosted a party at Community Park off-campus that drew hundreds of people.
Police said additional neighboring law enforcement agencies were already in Davis at the time of the shooting because they were assisting with Picnic Day.
Following the shooting, the Davis Police Department teamed with state and federal investigators in a search for clues as Davis leaders tried to reassure a city shaken by the shooting.
On May 23, Davis police and Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies arrested Davis at his home. Prosecutors said investigators found in Davis’ apartment a short-barrel AR-15-style pistol loaded with 23 rounds of ammunition.
Davis is prohibited from possessing any firearms and ammunition, because he was previously convicted of a felony charge of unlawful gun possession, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
Davis still faces state criminal charges in Yolo Superior Court in connection the with last year’s shooting. Court records show that Judge Paul Richardson on Dec. 9 denied a defense motion to dismiss Davis’ Yolo County case, which had been on hold pending the conclusion of his federal case.
Davis faces state felony charges of possessing an assault weapon, being a felon in possession of a firearm and ammunition and having a firearm after a prior juvenile conviction. He also faces a misdemeanor charge of possessing a large-capacity ammunition magazine.
“He put himself in the situation of a shootout where three individuals were shot,” Yolo County Deputy District Attorney Carolyn Palumbo said during Davis’ May 28 arraignment on the state charges. “He’s a felon in possession of a firearm by a gang member in a park that was populated by people, including kids. He’s a public safety risk.”
Davis on Thursday evening remained in custody at the Sacramento County Main Jail under a federal custody hold. He’s been in custody at the jail on the federal hold since July 31, a few days before the U.S. Attorney’s Office formally charged Davis with the federal gun charge.
