Vallejo sees 14th homicide amid wave of violence

VALLEJO, Calif. - Vallejo police are investigating the city's 14th homicide this year after a man was shot to death Wednesday night.

Residents say the latest shooting is another sign that violence is out of control in the city of about 124,000.

A community vigil is planned for 5 p.m. Friday to remember the victims and call for more public safety measures.

Police said they were called to the intersection of Sonoma Boulevard and Louisiana Street for a shooting at about 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. The man died at the scene.

The death comes a week after a 16-year-old boy was killed on July 17 at an apartment complex near City Hall. Bullets shattered the glass and left holes in nearby cars.

A day earlier, another homicide was captured on video by spectators' cellphones. Videos, obtained by the community news site VallejoCrime.com, show gunshots ringing out near the corner of Tennessee Street and Vervais Avenue just before a white vehicle crashes into two other vehicles and flips, while reportedly fleeing from another car.

A passenger in the fleeing vehicle that overturned was Sharmell Mitchell, who suffered a brain injury in the crash and died last Friday.

Mitchell was a mother of four and was interviewed by KTVU in 2016 about naming her newborn after a kind police officer who had helped her.

"They're devastated. They're heartbroken," said Melissa Nold, an attorney for the Mitchell family. "Ms. Mitchell was riding in a car with several other individuals. There may have been some sort of a collision that caused another person to follow them and open fire on the car."

Nold said the family is afraid because after holding a vigil last week at the crash site, someone drove by and fired shots at attendees.

Mitchell is the sister of Willie McCoy, whose family reached a settlement after McCoy was killed by Vallejo officers in 2019.

"The community doesn't have a great relationship with the police department,  but we have to work with them, and they have to work with us," Nold said.

Residents say they want the police to solve these cases and to see more officers on patrol.

"Afraid to go out, especially at night. Security is very low at this point," said resident David Regalado.

"It's unclear how many of these things are connected, so there's a lot of questions," Nold said.