3 dead, 5 injured after shooting at Richmond party advertised on Facebook
RICHMOND, Calif. - Three men are dead and five others were shot at a Richmond party, which fell on Father's Day and was advertised on Facebook, and police said that there could be more than one shooter still on the loose.
The people who lived inside a house in the 2100 block of Dunn Avenue hosted a Guatemalan "marimba" party on Sunday. The marimba is Guatemala's national instrument.
Richmond police Lt. Matt Stonebraker said because the party was advertised on social media, it's likely that a lot of guests didn't even know each other.
"The party was advertised on Facebook, and that's how most of the partygoers found out and actually attended," Stonebraker said.
Richmond Mayor Tom Butt said, "You might as well take out an ad and put it on TV, and what it means is there's no control over who shows up."
Just before 11 p.m., police said more than one person walked up to the house and shot into the groups of families right in front of the house.
"There's no indication the suspects were at the party," Stonebraker said. "It does appear they walked upon the scene, then got into a nearby car."
The shooters hit eight men at the party, killing three of them. The victims ranged in age from 18 to 45. Family members identified one of the victims who died as Andres Morales Garcia, 18, of Richmond.
One man at the scene, who did not want to be identified, said in Spanish that his uncle was one of those killed.
"I'm sad," he said. "There's nothing else we can do, just pray to God. What happened? I don't know. It's my uncle, so I have a big pain in my heart, and no one can take that pain away, only God."
He also is fearful witnesses will not come forward.
"No one will say who it was, what they did. No one. They fled and they went home," he said.
Police have not made any arrests or revealed any more details including a possible motive.
On Monday morning, detectives walked around the scene, which included boxes and cans of empty Modelo beer as well as what looked like rented white party chairs outside near the front gate. Pools of blood could also be seen on the driveway and lawn.
Police say it's likely alcohol played a part in the shooting because there was so much of it found at the home.
The injured went to a variety of area hospitals.
"We suspect the cars fleeing the area were going to area hospitals," Stonebraker said. "But also avoiding police contact."
Last week, the Richmond city council voted to redirect $3 million away from the police department and toward mental health services, though none of those changes have taken place yet.
"I'm really concerned that the continual drive to downsize our police force, you know, could result in more instances like this in the future," Butt said.
Officers say they were forced to deploy most bilingual officers because most victims only spoke Spanish.
The tragedy caught the attention of state lawmakers as well.
"This was supposed to be a celebratory event — instead, families were ripped apart by gun violence," said Assemblymember Buffy Wicks (AD-15). "I’m heartbroken and outraged to learn of this devastation in our Richmond community, and offer my heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims of this senseless act."
In nearby Oakland, violence marred what would have otherwise been a joyous Juneteenth event along Lake Merritt.
Just about 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, a shooter fired into a crowd that left six people injured from gunshot wounds and a 22-year-old San Francisco man dead, Oakland police said.
Police say approximately 5,000 people had gathered at the lake when the gunfire started around 6:22 p.m. on the 2200 block of Lakeshore Avenue.
The six victims are described as four men and two women ranging from age 16 to 27.
Immediately after the shooting, Oakland police saw two men running from the scene with guns. Both men were arrested and two guns were recovered.
Eyewitness accounts posted to social media Saturday evening indicated a group of people was arguing in the moments leading up to the gunfire.
Police have not confirmed these accounts.
KTVU's Daniel Radovich contributed to this report.