Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies on Tuesday were searching for a suspect in a fatal shooting after a man was struck by gunfire along South Watt Avenue in the Rosemont area.
The shooting was reported about 9:45 a.m. Tuesday at an apartment complex in the 4000 block of South Watt Avenue, just north of Jackson Road. Sgt. Ed Igoe, a spokesperson for the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office, said a caller reported hearing two gunshots and seeing one man who had been shot.
Igoe said deputies arrived and found a wounded 28-year-old man, who was taken by ambulance to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead. The Sacramento County Coroner’s Office will release the man’s name after his family has been notified.
After questioning witnesses, deputies believed the shooting suspect was possibly still in the apartment complex. The sheriff’s SWAT team was called in to help deputies search for the suspect.
The suspect had not been found as of Tuesday afternoon. Igoe said homicide detectives and crimes scene investigators were at the scene. Drivers were asked to avoid South Watt Avenue and Jackson Road, with roadways in the area expected to remain closed for several hours as authorities investigated at the scene.
Golden Empire Elementary School, which is a few blocks east of where the shooting was reported, was placed on a precautionary lockdown Tuesday morning as deputies searched the area for the suspect.
“I would like to emphasize that this incident took place off-campus and is not connected to our school, but we are taking all the precautions necessary to keep our campus safe,” Golden Empire Principal Azarel Iniguez said in a message sent shortly after 10:30 a.m. to parents. “Staff from the SCUSD Office of Safe Schools have been called to provide additional security to our campus, and we are in contact with law enforcement on when we can lift the lockdown.”
In another message sent about an hour later, Iniguez said students and school staff were still sheltering in place at the campus. The principal said students will have lunch in a rainy-day format.
“All students and staff continue to be safe, and all activity is still off campus,” Iniguez said in the update sent to parents.
Shortly after 3 p.m. Tuesday, the school principal announced the campus lockdown had been lifted. After school activities were taking place as normally scheduled.
This is a developing story; check back with sacbee.com for updates.
This story was originally published March 17, 2026 at 11:53 AM.
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Rosalio Ahumada writes breaking news stories related to crime and public safety for The Sacramento Bee. He speaks Spanish fluently and has worked as a news reporter in the Central Valley since 2004.