1 killed, another wounded in pair of Vallejo shootings
Vallejo police investigate a shooting that left one man dead on Sunday August 14, 2022. (Photo courtesy: Vallejo Police Department)
VALLEJO, Calif. - Vallejo police are investigating two shootings Wednesday night amid a rash of violence in the North Bay city in the past few weeks.
Officers responded to the 1500 block of Sacramento Street at 11:04 p.m. after getting a report of a shooting. Upon arrival, police discovered a 37-year-old man suffering from at least one gunshot wound. He died from his injuries in a hospital.
At 11:07 p.m., another call came in about a shooting in the 1300 block of Santa Clara Street, a few blocks west of the Sacramento Street shooting. A 41-year-old man was discovered there suffering from at least one gunshot wound. He was transported to the hospital for treatment and his condition was not immediately available.
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Police said that both shootings appear to be related.
Vallejo has had a sharp increase in shootings, stabbings and homicides this summer. There have been at least nine since August for a total of 22 homicides so far this year. Vallejo's median homicide rate is approximately 18 per year, according to VPD statistics.
Though Police Chief Shawny Williams didn't directly comment on the cause of the rise, he did allude to systemic issues.
"Community violence takes lives and is a severe public health crisis," he said in a statement Thursday. "We must overcome generational trauma by actively pursuing real solutions with comprehensive prevention strategies. I am calling on our community leaders, residents, elected officials; federal, state and local partners to assist us in this endeavor."