Los Angeles Times

Anita Chabria: How can we prevent shootings like the one in Sacramento? Take domestic violence seriously

The two brothers suspected of involvement in the recent deadly shooting in Sacramento, Dandrae and Smiley Martin, share something in common besides blood. They both beat women — a warning sign for gun violence, according to researchers. In 7 of 10 mass shootings, the perpetrator (let's be real, usually a man) either had a history of domestic violence, or was targeting someone he had a ...
Sacramento Police officer David Bell stands watch at the scene of a mass shooting at 10th and L streets in downtown Sacramento, California, on Sunday, April 3, 2022.

The two brothers suspected of involvement in the recent deadly shooting in Sacramento, Dandrae and Smiley Martin, share something in common besides blood.

They both beat women — a warning sign for gun violence, according to researchers.

In 7 of 10 mass shootings, the perpetrator (let's be real, usually a man) either had a history of domestic violence, or was targeting someone he had a relationship with. About 1 in 4 homicides in the United States is related to domestic violence, and too often include bystanders.

Those statistics come from the new Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions, and from Lisa Geller, a researcher who has studied the issue for years.

She told me she wouldn't be shocked if all the shooters in the Sacramento attack (police think there may be at least five) were found to have domestic violence in their backgrounds.

Robert Spitzer, a recently retired professor from New York's SUNY Cortland and the author of seven books on gun violence, told me

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