Johntaya Alexander did her big sister a favor early Sunday morning, showing up to give her a ride home when the downtown Sacramento clubs closed at 2 a.m. Minutes later, 21-year-old Johntaya, who dreamed of becoming a social worker, lay dying in her sister’s arms, cut down by gunfire that killed five others and wounded a dozen more.
As Sacramento police continue to investigate a shooting described as the worst in the city’s history, authorities elsewhere in the country face the same grim task. During a single incident in Dallas last weekend, 11 people were shot and one killed. Across Chicago, two people died and 17 others were wounded. Still more victims perished from gunfire in Baltimore, San Francisco, Albuquerque and other cities.
And it’s not summer yet, the time when shootings reach a crescendo nationally, as warm weather brings more people outside and conflicts can escalate, with often deadly results.
