4 dead in series of shootings in Lancaster – Daily News

The town of Lancaster was rocked by a series of shootings that left four people dead within 24 hours, prompting the mayor to complain that he felt police in the town were inadequate.

The most recent shooting occurred on Wednesday, June 26, at around 5:55 p.m. in the 800 block of East Avenue J-12, where two men were found with fatal gunshot wounds.

A short time later, investigators learned that additional gunshot victims arrived at an emergency room in the area, likely from the same shooting. By mid-morning, the Sheriff’s Department had identified five more gunshot victims, all of whom were alive and in stable condition.

“All victims (of this shooting) were at the same location when the shooting occurred,” the agency said.

“Homicide detectives have determined that this shooting is gang-related and are currently gathering additional information on possible suspects and continuing to work the scene,” sheriff’s officials said in a statement.

The wave of violence began on Tuesday, June 25, around 7:20 p.m., when a man was injured in a shooting at Avenue J-8 and 30th Street West.

Less than 90 minutes later, a man was shot in the 45600 block of Sierra Highway. Then, that same evening at 9:20 p.m., a man was shot in the 400 block of Avenue L.

It was unclear whether the shootings were related.

Lancaster Mayor R. Rex Parris expressed outrage over the violence and called for an increased sheriff’s presence in the community.

“We only have 50% of the police officers we need,” Parris told ABC7. “They knew this was going to happen. They knew it was coming. For some reason, the county is not providing us with enough police officers to protect this community, even though we’re paying for it.”

Parris said county authorities need to do more to combat crime in the city, even if it means deploying the National Guard.