Sacramento-area shooting exposes basic failure to protect victims of domestic violence

A girl or woman is killed by a member of her own family every 11 minutes worldwide. That tragic reality struck the Sacramento area Monday night when three young girls were killed by their father during a supervised visit at a church in Arden Arcade. The supervising adult was also killed before the father turned the gun on himself.

There are many details about the unspeakable mass shooting at The Church in Sacramento that we do not yet know. But when domestic violence becomes fatal, we are reminded of the many ways we fail domestic violence victims like the mother of the three children killed by their father in Sacramento Monday night.

Nearly 1 million women have reported being shot or shot at by intimate partners, according to research by Everytown USA, and 4.5 million women have reported being threatened with a gun by an intimate partner. Approximately half of intimate partner homicides are committed by abusive partners, and dating violence makes up for approximately 80% of domestic violence calls.

That is how this happens. Too often in domestic conflicts, the abuser is subject to a restraining order that is not enough. When tragedy strikes, as it did on Wyda Way Monday night, many are shocked. But surprised? No.

The girls’ mother had a temporary restraining order against the estranged father, which should have prevented him from possessing a firearm. But even in California, where gun laws are more restrictive than in many states, the suspect took a gun to a church Monday night and ended the lives of five, three of them his daughters — all of whom were under the age of 15 and attended school in Natomas.

The Sacramento region is too familiar with such tragedies. In 2018, Mary Wheat was killed by her husband, a California Highway Patrol officer who terrorized her, stalked her, surveilled her and then shot her to death. He had told his CHP colleagues that he planned to kill his estranged wife’s boyfriend and then kill himself. Some of them said in court that they did not believe he was a threat.

Last June, Vita Joga was killed by her estranged partner inside a Roseville restaurant while she was working. She also had taken out a restraining order against her former fiance.

In more than half of America’s mass shootings over the past decade, the gunman shot a current or former intimate partner or family member, according to Everytown’s research. Sixty-five percent of all murder-suicides involve a partner; 96% of the victims are female, and such violence disproportionately affects women of color as well as the LGBTQ and disabled communities.

Many victims are afraid to turn to local law enforcement because they feel they become suspects in police investigations. This leaves victims feeling helpless, and emboldens abusers when there are no consequences.

The solutions are staring us in the face. The way we care for survivors must change. That begins with law enforcement agencies where the culture around domestic violence often downplays the risk victims face. Protocols for monitoring supervised visits, gun access and victim protections must be strengthened for all genders, regardless of the type of partnership.

Federal background check systems need reform so guns are kept away from dangerous abusers and would-be murderers. Closing the so-called boyfriend loophole, which allows abusers to purchase and carry guns even if they have been convicted of abuse or are under a restraining order, is a critical first step.

The measure of a society is how we treat our most vulnerable. Sacramento failed the children killed at the Arden Arcade church, and the mother who followed the rules, who did everything she was supposed to do to shield her family from an abusive father.

Survivors of domestic violence deserve better. These tragic deaths in our community must be a catalyst for change.

This story was originally published March 1, 2022 at 12:30 PM.