One Killed, Six Hurt In Barber Shop Shootout
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) -- When two gunmen walked into a South Sacramento barber shop Tuesday afternoon, holiday shoppers and a busy lunch crowd were packed inside nearby shops and restaurants.
When the shooting stopped several minutes later, an innocent mother was dead inside her car, six other people were wounded, and investigators were left to sort out the chaos.
Sacramento County Sheriff's Department spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said it appears the two gunmen opened fire on two men getting their haircuts at the Fly Cuts & Styles barber shop.
The intended targets were armed and began shooting back. Authorities believe there were at least 30 shots fired.
A man inside the barber shop when the shooting began, who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation, said he couldn't tell who or how many people were shooting when he tried to escape.
"Not knowing where they come from, who was doing it, yeah, I was amazed," the man said.
In total, seven people were struck by gunfire, including 30-year-old Monique Nelson, who was just leaving a nearby one hour photo business with her two-year-old son in preparation for family photos later that afternoon.
"The mother was hit by an apparent stray bullet as she strapped her toddler into her SUV in the strip mall parking lot outside," Sgt. Curran said.
Nelson was struck in the chest while sitting in the front seat of her vehicle when a bullet came straight through her windshield. Her son was unharmed in the back seat.
Customers at the No. 1 Buffet across the street hit the floor when the gun fight escalated, and the evidence of the bullets' journey across four lanes of busy traffic on Stockton Boulevard can be seen in a bullet hole in one of the restaurant's window.
The family of Monique Nelson said the news of her death came as a huge shock, especially to her parents.
"My baby, my baby just got shot," said Barbara Nelson, Monique's mother.
Monique was "daddy's baby," Barbara said, and they worked together at Nelson's Book Store at the Sacramento International Airport.
The news was distressing enough to aggravate Barbara's heart troubles, and she was rushed to the hospital Tuesday evening over fears she was experiencing heart failure.
Her family says she's another victim of the senseless shooting.
Five of the six men injured in the gunbattle were taken to local hospitals, including an unidentified man with life-threatening injuries who was shot in the chest. He was undergoing surgery, Curran said.
A 37-year-old man, who was one of the barbers working inside the shop, was shot in the ankle. A 28-year-old man was shot in the shoulder and leg. A 39-year-old male, suffered a grazing wound. Another man whose age was unknown suffered a leg wound, Curran said.
Authorities later reported that a sixth person was wounded -- 46-year-old man who was shot in the stomach, Curran said.
Authorities have not released the identities of any of the surviving victims and no arrests have been made, he said.
"They are all being treated as victims. We do believe there's a high probability that those we are with are suspects," Curran said.
Reports suggest at least one suspect was able to escape in a nearby white sedan.
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