23-05-2025
Davis police arrest 19-year-old suspect in Picnic Day shooting investigation at Community Park
DAVIS – Davis police announced they have arrested a 19-year-old suspect in connection with a shooting at Community Park on Picnic Day.
Gunfire rang out during Picnic Day festivities at Community Park, located about a mile away from the UC Davis campus, on April 12. The shooting left two teenagers and a 24-year-old woman with non-life-threatening injuries.
The Davis Police Department said about a week after the shooting that it suspected there was more than one shooter and that it was believed the suspects lived outside of the Davis area.
The police department identified the suspect as 19-year-old Joseph Davis of Sacramento County. A search warrant was executed at Davis' home on Friday morning, leading to officers locating a loaded firearm.
Davis was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon and several firearms-related charges, such as possession of an illegal assault rifle. He was booked into the Yolo County Jail.
Davis police said they are still working to identify other people who were involved in the shooting as the investigation is ongoing.
"Based on the facts that investigators have developed during the course of this case, it is very evident that there were more than one individual that discharged a firearm at the park that day," Davis Police Chief Todd Henry said.
Henry said he couldn't speak on the suspect's previous criminal history, but said Davis has been arrested before.
The motive of the shooting remains under investigation.
The city has previously said the shooting "was not motivated by a desire to randomly harm community members."
