Nine separate shootings rocked Vallejo in 10 days, killing one and leaving at least five people injured, according to public records and Vallejo police.
The shootings occurred between April 28 and May 7. Police found Giordano Cerletti fatally shot in a gutter on the 1300 block of North Camino Alto shortly after 6 a.m. on April 28, in a police response marked by confusion and delay, according to public records.
Police responded to three shootings over two hours on April 30, according to department incident logs and dispatch audio. Three days later, assailants wielding at least one automatic weapon sent people running for their lives at a shopping center. On May 7, police responded to near-concurrent shootings in two different areas of town.
The first April 30 shooting occurred shortly after 5:50 p.m. on the 100 block of Laurel Street. “We’re getting multiple calls reporting a drive-by shooting, one subject shot in the leg,” a police dispatcher reported.
Responding officers found a person with at least one gunshot wound, which was not life threatening, Vallejo police spokesperson Sgt. Rashad Hollis told Open Vallejo in an interview on Wednesday.
The second April 30 shooting occurred approximately an hour and 40 minutes later, police incident logs show. Police responded to a report of a man shot behind his vehicle at the Marathon gas station at 2500 Sonoma Boulevard, according to dispatch audio. There, an officer found a person on the ground at a nearby intersection who appeared “alert and conscious.” That victim’s injuries were also not life threatening, Hollis said.
Police logged additional shootings on April 29 at 5:35 p.m. and on April 30 at 8:04 p.m. They damaged property, but no one was hurt, Hollis said.
On May 2, shortly after noon, multiple people placed emergency calls reporting that a man had been shot near Daniels Avenue and Sacramento Street, according to dispatch audio. Authorities found the victim alert and pursued a suspect who fled on foot. The victim was taken to a nearby hospital, where they were treated for injuries that were not life threatening, according to Hollis.
On May 3, at around 8:40 p.m., an officer radioed, “We just heard about 20 to 40 rounds of automatic gunfire in the Crest. We’re going to be doing an area check.” Additional officers radioed to report “multiple people running” and a “large group” near where the shooting occurred.
An officer at the scene reported that suspects had run into a local business, King’s Market & Liquor, with a rifle. Officers reported a woman had been shot in the buttocks, according to dispatch audio.
The shooting left local businesses riddled with large bullet holes, including King’s Market & Liquor and the Boys & Girls Empowerment Group, a community center for Vallejo youth.
Open Vallejo found police still investigating the scene the following day, marking numerous bullet casings on the street. Vallejo Councilmember Dr. Tonia Lediju and Solano County Supervisor Cassandra James, both of whom represent the area, visited the scene the day after the shooting. James declined to comment for this article. Lediju did not respond to requests for comment.
On Sunday, Vallejo police announced an arrest in the May 3 shooting, and confirmed that at least one woman had been transported to a local hospital. Police reported that another woman checked into a local hospital after the incident, suffering from at least one gunshot wound.
Vallejo police recorded no shootings between May 4 and 6, according to department incident logs.
On May 7, shortly after 4:15 p.m., callers reported a group of juveniles fighting in the parking lot of the Vallejo Transit Center near the city’s downtown, according to police audio. About three minutes later, callers reported hearing gunshots and multiple people screaming. A dispatcher advised police that multiple callers had reported a group of juveniles trying to fight a person who may have been shooting at them, and who later fled the scene by car.
As police were investigating the downtown shooting, shortly after 4:35 p.m., a caller reported that her son’s girlfriend had driven by and shot at her house on the 400 block of McGrue Circle, according to a police incident report and dispatch audio.
Nobody was injured in either of the May 7 incidents, Hollis told Open Vallejo.
In February, Vallejo police announced a joint operation with federal and county law enforcement agencies to address gun violence in the city.
At a press conference in Vallejo later that month, authorities announced that the federal partnership had led to the arrests of eight individuals for alleged gun and drug offenses in a series of coordinated raids across the city.
