A deadly shooting at a Sacramento Panera Bread restaurant led to a standoff that closed Highway 50 on Tuesday, with the highway now fully reopened after law enforcement resolved the situation, according to multiple reports.
Law enforcement responded to a fatal shooting at a Panera Bread location in Sacramento on Tuesday afternoon, which escalated into a standoff that temporarily closed Highway 50. The incident, which left one woman dead and a man dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, unfolded near the 800 block of Howe Avenue, according to the Sacramento Sheriff’s Office.
Shooting and Standoff Unfold Rapidly
Highway 50 reopens in Sacramento after shooting and standoff
At approximately 3 p.m., a man shot and killed a woman in the parking lot of the Panera Bread restaurant on Howe and Northrup avenues, witnesses told authorities. Sheriff’s Lt. Amar Gandhi described the attack as a chase and execution in front of multiple witnesses. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene by the Fire Department.
Deputies with the Sacramento Regional Transit (SacRT) located the vehicle near Highway 50 and Watt Avenue minutes later, Gandhi said. When officers attempted to stop the car, the driver refused to exit and later died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, as captured by LiveCopter 3 aerial footage.
LiveCopter 3 aerial footage after 3:20 p.m. showed law enforcement personnel surrounding the vehicle with their guns drawn. Surveillance drones could be seen hovering close to the car to assist law enforcement. Later, law enforcement personnel could be seen banging out the vehicle’s windows and then removing the man from the vehicle. He was unresponsive. The standoff concluded without further casualties, though the incident caused significant traffic disruptions on eastbound Highway 50 near Howe Avenue.
Earlier Traffic Closure Linked to Pursuit
A timelapse of Highway 50 traffic after deadly Sacramento
This was not the first time Highway 50 faced closures on Tuesday. Earlier that morning, officers from three separate law enforcement agencies shot a driver during a pursuit that ended near Hazel Avenue. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) reported that the incident began when a vehicle with its headlights off was stopped around 11:20 p.m. on Folsom Boulevard, only for the driver to flee, sparking a chase through Rancho Cordova and Fair Oaks.
The CHP noted that westbound lanes of Highway 50 remained closed for several hours near Hazel Avenue due to the morning incident, compounding traffic delays caused by the afternoon standoff. By Tuesday evening, eastbound lanes had partially reopened, with one lane of traffic moving eastbound while all lanes had reopened westbound, according to reports.
Law Enforcement Response and Ongoing Investigations
However, the exact motive behind the shooting remains under investigation, as does the relationship between the victim and the suspect.
Highway 50 traffic resumes in Sacramento after shooting and
Local authorities have not yet released the suspect’s name or the victim’s identity, citing ongoing investigations.
Residents and commuters faced prolonged delays as both incidents disrupted traffic on Highway 50, a critical route through Sacramento.
The sheriff’s office said that at approximately 3 p.m., the first shooting was reported in the 800 block of Howe Avenue. Sheriff’s Lt. Amar Gandhi said preliminary information shows a man chased the victim and then shot and executed her in front of several witnesses in the Panera Bread parking lot on the corner of Howe and Northrup avenues. The Fire Department pronounced the woman dead at the scene. The sheriff’s office said witnesses shared an image of the vehicle’s license plate. After entering the vehicle into the Flock system of license plate readers, deputies learned almost instantly
of its last location, Gandhi said. Deputies with SacRT located the vehicle near Highway 50 and Watt Avenue minutes later, Gandhi said. As they attempted to stop the vehicle, the driver stopped his car on the freeway and refused to get out of the vehicle, according to the sheriff’s office. The man then died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
This was the second time Highway 50 was shut down today. Early Tuesday morning, officers from three separate law enforcement agencies shot at a driver after a pursuit that ended along Highway 50 near Hazel Avenue. The confrontation left the driver dead. Learn more about that shooting here. This story is developing. Stay with KCRA 3 for updates. See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel | Make KCRA a preferred news source in Google.
