A shooting at a Gurdwara in California’s Sacramento County on Sunday afternoon has left two people seriously injured and in hospital in critical condition.

The shooting at the Gurdwara Sacramento Sikh Society temple, during a Nagar Keertan event, is not related to a hate crime and the incident, in which three people were involved in a fight, escalated into a shooting, the Sacramento County sheriff’s office has said.
Sacramento County sheriff’s office spokesperson Sergeant Amar Gandhi told reporters that the shooting was isolated to three individuals and all participants in that altercation seemed to have known each other. Sgt Gandhi added that the Sikhs are a welcoming community with thousands of people having come to enjoy the festival and celebrate; and nothing would be left unchecked by law enforcement agencies to ensure that the suspect, who had left the scene, was apprehended.

“The Sikh community has bowed its head in shame after the shooting in Sacramento after the end of the Nagar Keertan which was organised by the local Gurdwara Sahib in the capitol of California state,” Satnam Singh Chahal executive director, North American Punjabi Association (NAPA), said in a press release on Monday. He added that this shooting, in which two persons were seriously injured, had sent a message to the people around the globe that the Sikh community is a very violent community. “This is main reason that hate crimes against the Sikhs are increasing day by day.”

Chahal added that after the Nagar Keertan event two groups within the community challenged each other and came out to the parking lot of the Gurdwara where the shooting occurred. “The health condition of the injured persons is still serious and no other details have been released at this time,” Chahal said.

Times Of India: Mar 27, 2023