The sound of gunfire shattered the early morning calm on August 9 in Del Paso Heights, claiming the life of 31-year-old Montray Allen and leaving his family devastated. Nine days later, his grieving mother stands before the community with a heartbreaking plea: cherish your children, because hers is gone forever.
According to FOX40, Montray Allen was leaving an apartment near a church when police said he was gunned down. No suspect is in custody.
Allen's relatives told ABC10 that the 31-year-old was trying to de-escalate a fight at an apartment complex party when he was shot. His uncle described the shooting as unprovoked and senseless, saying Allen had approached the situation trying to calm things down.
A Family Man Remembered
"He loved to party. He loved to hang out. He always had this big smile on his face. He was just amazing," his mother, Lytosha Humphrey, told FOX40. "I don't want nobody else's mother to go through the same thing because it really, really hurts."
Humphrey described her son as a family man who loved spending time with his 10-year-old daughter. Despite living in an area with gang activity, Allen was never involved in that lifestyle and instead brought smiles and good energy to those around him, according to family members.
A Community Under Siege
Allen's death represents just the latest tragedy in a neighborhood that has struggled with persistent violence. Data from CrimeGrade shows Del Paso Heights receives a D- grade for violent crime, with rates much higher than the average US neighborhood.
The Del Paso Heights area is in the 14th percentile for safety, meaning 86% of neighborhoods are safer. Recent years have seen multiple deadly incidents in the area, including a June 2023 double homicide along North Avenue and Clay Street and a May 2023 shooting that injured four people, including children ages 1 and 10.
According to FOX40, Sacramento police report there have been 32 homicides in the city so far in 2024, compared to 42 in all of 2023.
Beyond Statistics: A Mother's Mission
Humphrey said she is speaking out because she doesn't want Allen's death to be just another statistic. Community advocate Berry Accius, who remembered Allen's big smile, is calling on anyone with information to come forward.
"I am pleading for the people who may know something to say something, because Montray would have done that for you," Accius said on FOX40. The family has established a GoFundMe to help with funeral expenses and support Allen's young daughter.
"If you have a problem, your first reach shouldn't be a gun," said Allen's aunt. "You could fight. I would have rather him fought my nephew...when you take somebody's life, that's irreversible. And, you're affecting way more people than that one person you were intending to affect."
Seeking Justice
The Sacramento Police Department encourages any witnesses with information regarding this investigation to contact the dispatch center at 916-808-5471 or Sacramento Valley Crime Stoppers at 916-443-4357. FOX40 reports callers can remain anonymous and may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.
As Del Paso Heights grapples with another life lost to gun violence, Lytosha Humphrey's message resonates beyond her personal tragedy: a community's children deserve protection, and every life taken represents not just a statistic, but a future stolen and a family forever changed.
