JOINT STATEMENT WITH UC DAVIS

   

Read the Joint Statement by clicking here. 

UNSHELTERED COMMUNITY UPDATE

After conducting outreach and surveying the unhoused clients accessing services in and around their site, Davis Community Meals and Housing (DCMH) quickly determined additional clients were willing to accept temporary shelter during this period. DCMH notified the City of Davis they could expand emergency overnight sheltering capacity from four beds to 24 beds in total to meet the need. Paul’s Place, DCMH’s full service development with emergency transitional and permanent supportive housing, was identified as one of two locations for expansion. The site, which typically provides four emergency beds, created 10 additional beds in response to the crisis. Two additional staff members were assigned to oversee overnight operations. HEART of Davis and the new Davis Community Action Network (CAN) were also recruited to provide meals and materials respectively. DCMH re-opened the 5th Street site in Davis recently used as the congregate Winter Emergency Shelter location. This site is equipped with 10 beds, and two staff members were assigned to oversee this operation. The site was also supplied with meals by HEART of Davis (materials were already secured). 

Last night, 20 previously unsheltered people were sheltered by DCMH, and served by HEART and CAN. We continue to outreach to the unhoused community and based on their feedback, the current expansion is sufficient to meet the need. Two local hotels and two local nonprofit service providers also stepped forward with offers to secure motel rooms if there is need for additional capacity.

The unhoused community is also receiving support from a variety of local homeless services providers operating in Davis. CommuniCare Daytime Respite Center remains open 7:30 am – 4 pm, Monday – Saturday to offer connection to case management services, showers, laundry, a rest area and staff to provide mental health support.  Downtown Streets Team, a volunteer employment program recently launched in Davis, provides camaraderie, basic life skills training, case management and support to cohort of unhoused people seeking to stabilize their circumstances.

We are asking that the community, rather than providing direct outreach to our unhoused neighbors, reach out to DCMH or the Daytime Respite Center to offer support and resources> Click here for: the DCMH Wish List, the Respite Center Wish List, the Respite Center Volunteer Flyer or the Social Services Guide. The community can also email HOutreach@cityofdavis.org to be noticed about opportunities to help as they become available. The suspect is still at-large; though people mean well, the Davis Police Department has asked the community to wait for word about the coordinated response. And as you can imagine, our homeless community is leery of being approached by unknown people, even if it’s for help.  

Staff is monitoring the response and anticipates the operation will continue for at least the next week (5/2-5/9), dependent upon available resources and the result of the ongoing investigation. Additional resources will be necessary to continue the operation, particularly to support the staffing expansion at DCMH, and an approximate budget is being developed. Consistent communication between the Davis PD, city staff, local service providers and stakeholders is ongoing and is the backbone of this short-term response.

INVESTIGATIVE UPDATE

Detectives are continuing their investigation and reviewing numerous tips and leads. Biological evidence has been collected from each of the crime scenes and early returns are being analyzed to determine potential sources; no conclusions regarding source have been made at this time. A certified law enforcement sketch artist worked with a witness of the Karim Abou Najm homicide and drafted a sketch of a possible suspect; however, it was determined that it is not viable for use after the witness had low confidence it accurately depicted the suspect. A sketch that illustrates a misleading representation of a suspect could lead to the false apprehension of an innocent person.

The Davis Police Department is aware that a great deal of inaccurate information and false suspect images have been shared through different social media platforms. We would like to remind the community that the best sources for getting accurate information regarding the investigation are from official sources such as the Davis Police Department, City Facebook pages, or reliable news sources. The Davis Police Department is committed to providing timely, accurate information.

Here is the last description of the suspect: The suspect was described as male with a light complexion, with curly hair, 5’6”-5’9” tall, and thin build. He was last seen wearing: a dark hoodie, black “adidas” style pants with a white stripe, black shoes and a brown backpack.

ALERT NOTIFICATIONS

If you live or work in Davis, make sure you are signed up for Yolo-Alerts to receive notifications in the case of an emergency. Sign up at: http://www.yolo-alert.org/ or https://member.everbridge.net/453003085611271/login. Both links take you to the same website. Double check that your contact information is correct. You can add the address where you work or live in Davis.  

NEW WEBPAGE

All of the City's updates and press releases to the community can now be found in one webpage. Check it out at: https://www.cityofdavis.org/r/may-2023-incidents