4 injured, hundreds flee in shooting at Davis community picnic

DAVIS, Calif. — Four people were wounded Saturday afternoon after gunfire broke out at a popular festival in Davis, triggering a rush to safety that caused further injury, according to police and university officials.

Hundreds enjoying the traditional spring gathering fled after the shooting at the north end of Community Park, a sprawling recreational area north of the UC Davis campus.

Neighbors living close to the park said they heard a series of loud sounds, whether firecrackers or gunfire, in rapid succession, just before 3 p.m. Immediately after, some 500 to 600 people were seen streaming out of the park, many looking distressed.

On police and fire dispatch radio, incident responders described the event as a “stampede.” A dispatcher summoned ambulances for people who “were stepped on, while running” but police said later they believed those reports were inaccurate.

The park crowd was spillover from the annual Picnic Day event hosted by UC Davis. The campus tradition revolves around an open house for prospective students and their parents.

Responding officers discovered three people had sustained gunshot wounds and another had been trampled, according to a social media post by the city of Davis. The four victims were taken to a local hospital. No other information was immediately provided on their conditions.

As of Saturday afternoon, police were still searching for a shooting suspect, according to the city.

Emergency responders radioed that they were treating three patients at the community Little League baseball field, according to scanner traffic on Broadcastify.com. Among those wounded was a 15-year-old with a gunshot wound to the foot, according to the radio traffic. A second gunshot victim was described as injured in the thigh. Police said none of the injuries were considered life-threatening.

During a stand-up press briefing later that afternoon, Davis Police Lt. Dan Beckwith said two of the shooting victims were teens, one from Davis and one from Sacramento. He said the third shooting victim was 24.

Beckwith described the incident as a “one-off” for Davis. “I believe this event is still very family friendly and safe for folks,” Beckwith said.

This year’s Picnic Day, a free celebration, featured a parade, battle of the bands, fashion show and other events on an otherwise picture-perfect day with mild temperatures and a deep blue sky.

The city had established a “Safety Enhancement Zone” in the area, as it has done since 2011, according to its website. It credited the threat of increased fines for municipal code infractions, such as public drinking, with helping reduce “undesirable behavior” during Picnic Day.

Attendees described the aftermath as chaotic. Event security workers initially told police they believed the loud sounds had come from fireworks, while a woman called saying a friend had been shot. As some revelers continued to party and officers tried to enforce a lockdown, a police helicopter circled and a loudspeaker gave orders to those in the area: “The school is closed. The park is closed. Find your way home. Please. It is time for you to leave. Leave.”

One 17-year-old said a friend was among those injured. The teen, who gave only her first name, Nana, said her friend was grazed by a bullet and left in an ambulance.

A young man — who didn’t want to give his name — said he was detained because police said he matched the description of the alleged shooter.

After a half-hour, he said, they apologized and released him.

Police sent phone alerts asking the public to avoid the area as officers conducted their investigation. No further information was immediately available.

The Davis Police Department asked those with information about the shooting to contact the department at (530) 747-5400 or via email at policeweb@cityofdavis.org.