4 people shot in Vallejo, police too busy to respond to sideshows
VALLEJO, Calif. - Four people were shot near the corner of Monterey Street and Springs Road, around 2:35 a.m. Sunday in Vallejo. Police said the victims have non-life-threatening injuries, but they were all sent to the hospital.
Blood still stained the road in the residential neighborhood Sunday afternoon, and a neighbor told KTVU she heard multiple gunshots. Video from the scene shows at least 30 shell casings in the street.
Sgt. Rashad Hollis, public information officer for the Vallejo Police Department, said they are still in the preliminary stages of the investigation and don't know yet what led up to the shooting.
Just after the shooting and about 3 miles away, multiple sideshows broke out. Hundreds of spectators gathered to watch as the sideshows continued for at least an hour and a car was set on fire.
But Sgt. Hollis said officers were too busy with the shooting injuries to respond.
Sideshow complete with fireworks takes over Bay Bridge
Sideshow participants sent fireworks into the sky, as cars drove recklessly and pulled stunts on the Bay Bridge early Sunday. Passengers can be seen hanging out of car windows, as their cars spun dangerously close to onlookers. Many bystanders appeared unfazed, and were recording the chaos.
Vallejo Councilmember Cristina Arriola said a shooting is a code 1 call, so "other incidents that are less than that have to take the backseat, unfortunately."
She said although a sideshow is disruptive, it's a non-violent crime.
The city has been in a state of emergency since last summer because of a critical police shortage. The city is authorized to have 132 police employees but currently has about 70. That includes about 31 officers patrolling the city of 123,000 people.
The department is also still without a police chief since the previous chief suddenly resigned in 2022.
Arriola said the city is "in dire need" of help and thinks they should try to get all the help possible. She has been asking for at least two California Highway Patrol officers to monitor Highway 29/Sonoma Boulevard, where many of the sideshows tend to happen.
Just last week, a bill to help address this staffing shortage unanimously cleared the Assembly Public Employment and Retirement Committee. It would allow retired officers to work full-time for the Solano County Sheriff's Office to help out in Vallejo.
Police said no arrests have been made in the shooting investigation.