Caught in The Crosshairs - The Sacramento Observer

A Series by Robert J. Hanson | OBSERVER Staff Reporter

Caught In The Crosshairs is a series on gun violence and its impact on the Black community in Sacramento and was funded by the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism’s 2024 California Health Equity Impact Fund.

Q&A: Sac Activists Share Stories Of Battling Gun Violence

Gun violence, particularly in Black communities, has risen dramatically in recent years, with poverty, access to guns, and cultural influences contributing to the problem.

An Expert’s View On Why We Die From Gun Violence

Dr. Garen Wintemute, an emergency room doctor at UC Davis Medical Center, has dedicated his life’s work to reducing gun violence and has published research on the crisis of gun violence and the use of ghost guns in California.

Targets, From Toddlers To Teens

By Robert J. Hansen | OBSERVER Staff Writer Paula Anderson was getting her young children ready for bed, looking at pictures with her 3-year-old daughter Azalya in her home near Power Inn Road in 2018 when gunshots rang out. She grabbed her daughter, but as they ducked, a bullet whizzed by Paula and struck Azalya…

Caught In The Crosshairs: Gun Violence Takes Its Toll On Black Community

Kejion Starkes, a 26-year-old music artist and father, was shot and killed in Sacramento County in February, reflecting the devastating problem facing the African American community with gun violence, with Black people accounting for 52% of all gun-related deaths from 2019 to 2023.