Richmond

Shooting at Religious Celebration in Richmond Leaves 3 Dead, 5 Injured: Police

Gathering initially was reported as a Father's Day party, but police confirm it wasn't related to the holiday

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A shooting at a religious celebration Sunday night in Richmond left at least three people dead and five others injured, according to the police department.

Police said the shooting appears to be isolated and targeted.

The shooting occurred around 11 p.m. on Father's Day at a home in the 2100 block of Dunn Avenue, not far from the intersection with 23rd Street. The gathering of about 80 to 100 people was not related to the Father's Day holiday, police said.

A house party in Richmond ended in a mass shooting killing three people and wounding five. The party, which police believe was advertised on Facebook, was a celebration of a Latin-American celebration. Jodi Hernandez reports.

Matt Stonebraker with the Richmond Police Department explained the party was advertised on Facebook and that's why several guests attended the gathering.

One family member told NBC Bay Area his young nephew was killed, and another family member said his uncle was killed. Police said two people died at the scene and a third died at a hospital.

The victims were all male ranging in age from 18 to 44, police said.

Five more people were wounded in the shooting that took place at a Guatemalan Marimba, where there was a lot of music and dancing, a family member said. One of the five wounded was in critical condition, police said.

It was initially reported the gathering was a Father's Day party, but police later confirmed it was not related to Father's Day.

A shooting at a religious celebration Sunday night in Richmond left at least three people dead and five others injured, according to the police department.

Richmond police said early Monday morning they had not identified shooters or made any arrests. They believe the victims were targeted and the shooting was isolated to the gathering.

Richmond Mayor Tom Butt said what the city needs is more police, it’ll soon be down to 145 members, 50 fewer than in 2014. He says more officers would allow for community policing.

"It builds a relationship between police and community and that is especially important in Richmond with its large immigrant community," said Butt.

City council member Claudia Jimenez, like the mayor, is also in favor of more boots on the ground, but not for police officers. She favors defunding the department and spending more on The Office of Neighborhood Safety

"We are doubling the staff to 16 from eight and will soon be working with the Latino community," she said.

Jimenez says millions of dollars for programs instead of police has meant a 66% decrease in gun violence. But right now people aren’t thinking much about the crimes prevented, just this one that wasn’t.

"My sympathy goes to the family members. My heart goes to the ones who lost a family member and the ones in pain," said neighbor Isela Zamora.

Anyone with information regarding the shooting should contact Detective Brian Hoffman at BHoffman@RichmondPD.net or 510-621-1755, or call the Richmond PD tip line at 510-307-T1PS (510-307-8177); you can always remain anonymous while providing information.

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