U.S. Shooting: 2 shot at Gurudwara in Sacramento, sheriff’s office searching for suspect

Two people were shot at a Gurudwara in Sacramento County, California on Sunday. the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said.

Two people were shot at a Gurudwara in Sacramento County, California on Sunday. the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said.

The sheriff’s office stated the shooting occurred around 2:30 p.m. (local time) at the Gurdwara Sacramento Sikh Society temple. Both of the victims are in critical condition, the office said.

The office said the shooting is not related to a hate crime, and said the incident is a shootout between two men who knew each other.

Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Amar Gandhi said three people were involved in a fight that escalated into a shooting. He said “suspect 2” was down when “suspect 1” shot suspect 2’s friend. Suspect 2 then shot suspect 1 before taking off. “All participants in that altercation seemed to have known each other. This seems to have stemmed from something far before this,” Sgt. Gandhi added.

Investigation is underway.

“I’m determined to ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines,” U.S. President Joe Biden recently said in a public address. Mr. Biden’s rhetoric has grown ever stronger about guns— he routinely calls for banning assault weapons— in pushing a gun-control platform even tougher than during the Obama administration when he was Vice President.

The bill passed last year, known as the Safer Communities Act, is viewed by gun control advocates as a good start but one that doesn't go far enough. After the law was signed, there were 11 other mass shootings, according to a database of mass killings since 2006 maintained by The Associated Press, USA Today, and Northeastern University. Those killings don't include shootings in which fewer than four people were killed— and gun violence is also rising nationwide.