‘In the prime of her life’: What we know about the downtown Sacramento shooting victims

Two Cousins out for a night at a club. A young woman from Elk Grove “in the prime of her life.” A homeless woman well-known for her kindness and eccentricity in downtown Sacramento.

They were among the three men and three women who were shot death in downtown Sacramento early Sunday.

The shooting, which injured another 12 people, unfolded on a busy night on the 1000 block of K Street, a strip packed with bars and nightclubs near the Golden 1 Center.

The three men killed were Sergio Harris, 38, of North Highlands; DeVazia Turner, 29, of Carmichael; and Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32, of Salinas.

The three women killed were Johntaya Alexander, 21, of Elk Grove; Melinda Davis, 57; and Yamile Martinez-Andrade, 21, of Selma.

Here’s what we know about them.

Johntaya Alexander

Johntaya Alexander, 21, was one of the youngest victims. She was downtown with her sister where gunfire erupted, her father, John Alexander, said Monday.

“She was down there with her sister, trying to have a good time,” John Alexander said Monday. “She was a strong-willed woman in the prime of her life....She was very headstrong, she was going to let it be known.”

Strong-willed, headstrong, Johntaya was making her way into adulthood, setting out just six months ago in a new apartment that she was making her own.

“She was a 21-year-old girl, coming into maturity. She was thinking about her life, working, trying to secure her life and goals,” her father said.

A GoFundMe page has since been opened for the Alexander family. The photo atop the page shows the promise and the future lost.

Father John, dressed in blue; daughter Johntaya, beaming, dressed in white, together in downtown Sacramento.

Yamile Martinez-Andrade

Yamile “Yami” Martinez-Andrade, 21, loved music, and she had traveled from her small town in the Central Valley to Sacramento for the Tyler, the Creator concert.

Her mother, Teresa Andrade, told Fox26 News’ Liz González, that she’d been in contact with her daughter multiple times on Saturday. Martinez’s friend who was with her at the time of the shooting told ABC10’s Madison Wade that the young woman was “loved by everyone.”

Martinez, whose friend also said she “brought light to the room,” grew up in Selma, 16 miles south of Fresno. Selma Unified School District said she went to Abraham Lincoln Middle School and graduated from the Selma Independent Study Program in 2019.

Melinda Davis

Melinda Davis, 57, for years lived on the streets in the downtown blocks where the shooting took place, said Shawn Peter, a guide with the Downtown Sacramento Partnership who had known Davis for 15 years.

Davis would often sleep in the doorways of businesses along the street, including the London nightclub and Bloem Decor Florist. When it rained, she sought cover in the alcove of restaurants on K Street.

“She’d have a shopping cart and a sleeping bag,” Peter said, “and if she was very lucky, she’d have a tent.”

Peter said downtown officials had helped Davis find housing before the pandemic hit, but that she had returned to 10th Street in recent months.

“Melinda was a very eccentric individual, a very sassy lady,” he said.

A small bouquet of purple roses was placed on the sidewalk in front of London on Monday morning, with a note that read, “Melinda Rest In Peace.”

“This was her spot,” Peter said. “This was her world, 24/7.”

Davis was a kind woman who did not like to be around a lot of other people, said Tangela Hicks, her friend.

Hicks and Davis lived together in an apartment off Del Paso Boulevard in North Sacramento but were evicted in 2014, she said. After that, they became homeless.

“She was a good woman,” Hicks, 52, said. “She was very weak and quiet. She kept to herself. We became good friends.”

Sergio Harris

Sergio Harris, 38, was known as the “life of the party” among his friends.

Stevante Clark, whose brother Stephon Clark was killed by Sacramento Police in 2018, said both he and his brother were friends with Harris.

“He was so loved. Honestly, you don’t find anyone say a bad thing about him,” Clark said.

Clark said Harris was a father to two children, and Clark has been offering support to his mother, Pamela Harris, and the family.

Clark called the mass shooting a tough blow for the Sacramento community.

“What do we do after? We need more of a police presence when these clubs are out, or we need to think about community advocates who understand the community and are respected in this community so they can mediate and deescalate.”

Clark said his foundation, created after his brother died, is offering financial and emotional support to the families of the victims, and can reach out by emailing iamsacfoundation@gmail.com.

DeVazia Turner

DeVazia Turner, 29, was at the club with Harris, his cousin. Turner’s father, Frank, said his son was a regular at nightclubs in downtown Sacramento, including London, and was just out having fun.

Turner, according to family, was living in Vacaville but spent time in Carmichael with family and was a father of four.

“I just want to make sure the world knows that he was loved,” Tamika Young, his sister, told KPIX. “My little brother, he was a family dude. ... He had love in him.”

Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi

Joshua Hoye-Lucchesi, 32, lived in Salinas but grew up in Sacramento.

He was the father of six children, according to Nana Turner, the mother of his two oldest children.

Turner, who remained friends with Hoye-Lucchesi, said he was a good father who “always wanted to spend time” with his daughters.

“His kids was his whole entire heart, and he’s really going to be truly missed, by his kids, and myself, and his mother, and a lot of friends,” Turner said. “He touched a lot of people’s hearts.”

The last time Turner spoke with Hoye-Lucchesi was about a week and a half ago, when he called his daughters on FaceTime.

“That was his farewell to them,” Turner said.

This story was originally published April 3, 2022 at 3:51 PM with the headline "‘In the prime of her life’: What we know about the downtown Sacramento shooting victims."