Three shot in Community Park incident on Saturday

PHOTO CREDIT: Lauren Keene for The Davis Enterprise

By Marion Delarue

BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–

This article was reported and written by HUB staff as of April 13.

Harper Junior High music teacher Greg Brucker was watching his son’s AA game at the Little League field with his wife and parents when the shots rang out.

Junior Marian Fabionar was in the green room of the Brunelle preparing to go on stage when Principal Geigle announced the shelter in place. “I first knew something was wrong when I looked out of the windows in the theater’s green room and saw police cars and cops walking around,” she said.

Sophomore Kyle Inceoglu was in M-1 preparing for the robotic team’s upcoming World Championship with his business and media team when one of his friends told him that there had been a shooting at Community Park. “We went into lockdown and had coaches with us the entire time. Ms Singh, the robotics teacher at the high school and a coach for the team, was in communication with the police department,” Inceoglu said.

A shooting at Community Park on Saturday, April 12, resulted in three injuries, including a DHS sophomore who was shot in the foot.

The shooting also cast a shadow over Picnic Day festivities, an annual event hosted by UC Davis.

When it happened

Picnic Day is “a day when tens of thousands of visitors join us as we celebrate our people, programs and community,” the UC Davis Facebook page said. For the event, the Davis Police Department increases their presence throughout the city.

“Davis Police Officers were patrolling the area of Community Park at 214 E. 14th Street when they heard several gunshots,” the DPD’s public release said.

Three people were shot. Two of the three victims of the shooting were minors and one was 24 years old. An early rumor that one person had been trampled was not confirmed by police.

Harper music teacher Greg Brucker was there at the start of the incident. “Out of the middle of nowhere we heard 5,6,7 gunshots,” Brucker said. “And we heard screaming and hundreds of people starting running (from) across the street.”

He said the shots seemed to come from the area behind the Davis Art Center where an outdoor party had been underway. “In the moment I heard it I was like ‘Oh crap that’s a gun! That’s gunshots. That’s gunfire,’” Brucker said.

Brucker along with hundreds of parents and children dropped to the ground in the middle of a baseball game. Once the gunshots ended, the only goal was to run.

“All those videos that we sadly see in other places where something goes down. I mean it was exactly what it was,” Brucker said.

Response and search for a suspect

The shooting happened at about 3 p.m., but people continued to congregate in the park. At 4:20, a police helicopter hovered over the park using a loudspeaker to tell people to evacuate.

The police started processing the scene and opened a “lengthy follow up investigation” Beckwith said.

Principal Bryce Geigle was on the Davis High campus when the shooting happened. A parent informed him of what had occurred.

“A parent approached me letting me know that a Davis PD officer instructed anyone in Brunelle to shelter-in-place as law enforcement investigated the sound of gunshots at Community Park,” Geigle said.

In a text sent to DHS staff at about 4pm, the district said “DSHS in lockdown. If you are on campus and not already locked down, clear campus. There is active police activity on and around campus.”

As the school went into lockdown, Jazz Choir’s performance continued in the Brunelle Theater, in the part of campus closest to Community Park.

“I didn’t think much of it at first, because we’ve had so many false bomb threats,” Jazz Choir member and junior Nico Srinivas said.

Srinivas realized the situation was serious when an adult ran in and told the choir and audience members that the hallway lights were being turned off and no one was allowed in the hallways.

“Multiple people burst into tears and that’s when I really started freaking out,” Srinivas said.

On the other side of campus, the Citrus Circuit robotics team went into lockdown in the M-wing.

The lockdown was lifted at 5:23 by principal Bryce Geigle who was on campus at the time of the shooting.

“Safety of students, staff, and parents continue to be our highest priority,” Principal Bryce Geigle said.

The aftermath

While conflicting descriptions of the suspect in the shooting were broadcasted over police radio, at press time, a definitive description had not been released. While a picture of a young man holding a handgun with an extended magazine circulated on social media, no arrest had been made as of April 13. The DHS sophomore who was shot appeared in several online photos but did not want to be interviewed.

“Everybody is pretty shaken up. This is very traumatic for the kids. I saw a lot of kids and parents in tears looking shocked. My kids, it’s very traumatizing for them,” Brucker said.

“I think it will be important for the district to find ways to provide support systems to help over the next couple of weeks because this was pretty traumatizing,” Brucker said.

Principal Geigle reflected on the incident the day after the shooting.

“This event is a reminder to prioritize safety and each other. It reminds us how important it is to stay aware of our surroundings, connected to one another and speak up when we see or feel that something isn’t right,” Geigle said.

DHS is prepared to offer support to students who need it.

“As a community, we must be able to place our sense of safety at the forefront even on days of intended celebration. Please take care of yourselves and one another— and don’t hesitate to reach out for support if you need it. Your school community is here for you,” Geigle said.