Sacramento, California – A man suspected of fatally shooting two women outside a Sacramento County apartment complex on Wednesday night, later turned the gun on himself at an Arden Fair Mall parking lot as deputies attempted to apprehend him on Thursday, according to the county sheriff’s office. The suspect, identified as 32-year-old Ricky Hunter, succumbed to his injuries at the hospital.
Hunter was located at the mall and confronted as he exited an AT&T store by Sgt. Amar Gandhi. Deputies exercised caution and waited for him to leave the store before making contact, to prevent endangering others. When Hunter got into his vehicle, detectives surrounded him and he then shot himself in the chest with a shotgun, without any law enforcement firing their weapons.
Following the self-inflicted wound, deputies provided medical aid and Hunter was transported to a hospital, where he eventually passed away. Footage from LiveCopter 3 depicted a vehicle with the driver’s side window and passenger window shattered in the mall parking lot, with visible evidence markers on the vehicle.
Gandhi revealed that there was an existing warrant for Hunter’s arrest related to the double homicide at The Eleven Hundred apartment complex near Howe Avenue and Northrop Avenue. Deputies responding to the shooting scene found the two women with gunshot wounds, both of whom died on-site.
The incident unfolded around 10:30 p.m. on Wednesday, sparking a police response to the tragic scene. No further details were immediately available, but the investigation is ongoing to determine the motives behind the killings and the events leading up to the tragic outcome.
Authorities urge anyone with information to come forward and assist in shedding light on the circumstances surrounding the violent altercation that resulted in the loss of two lives and the eventual death of the suspect.