A Month Later, Family Of Man Slain In N. Sac Shooting Awaits An Arrest

By Robert J. Hansen | OBSERVER Staff Writer

Montray Allen, 31, was fatally shot Aug. 9 outside the North Avenue Apartments in the Del Paso Heights neighborhood. More than a month later, family members said they still are waiting for answers and an arrest.

Sacramento police said there have been no updates in the case. Officials did not confirm whether a suspect has been identified or if they are seeking assistance from the public. In a brief statement, the department said “our detectives continue to actively investigate this case.”

His mother, Lytosha Humphrey, said she has spoken with the lead detective twice since the shooting. She brought in a witness when investigators asked, but said she has not been told whether the police have identified a suspect. Humphrey added that she gave detectives the name and photo of the person she believes was responsible.

“I have given a picture of him and the name, so I don’t know if they got a lead on him or not,” she said.

Montray Allen’s mother, Lytosha Humphrey, has waited more than a month for police to make an arrest in the shooting death of her son. Russell Stiger II, OBSERVER

Humphrey said she is frustrated by the lack of an arrest. She recounted what she was told about the night of the shooting: Allen and his girlfriend had just stepped outside when a man confronted her, pressing for her phone number. She tried to defuse the situation by giving him a random number. When Allen questioned the man’s aggressive behavior, the encounter turned deadly.

“He got shot over nothing,” Humphrey said.

Humphrey described her son as a devoted father and family man who avoided violence. He had a 10-year-old daughter who lives in Texas with her mother and had come to Sacramento for his funeral. Allen attended Inderkum High School and, according to his mother, never joined gangs or carried weapons. She said he enjoyed spending time with family, going out with friends, and was “a happy person” who didn’t look for trouble.

For the Humphrey family, the tragedy is not new. They lost their brother to gun violence two years ago, making Allen’s death especially painful.

Allen’s uncle, Ezell Humphrey-Grant, is active with Movement for Life, a Sacramento nonprofit that mentors young people on emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, and problem-solving skills. The group works directly in neighborhoods to interrupt cycles of gun violence by helping youth find alternatives to retaliation and aggression.

Humphrey-Grant said those same values guided his nephew’s actions on the night he was killed. Allen tried to step in and calm the situation, reflecting the principles of deescalation his family emphasizes.

He added that he felt cultural influences such as violent lyrics in music and the lure of social media recognition are fueling dangerous behaviors among young people. Some youth, he said, feel pressured to gain status or go viral by committing acts of violence.

From left, Allen’s aunt Shani Sanders, mother Lytosha Humphrey and sister Teavjanae Beaver remember their loved one a month after he was shot and killed. Russell Stiger II, OBSERVER

“There are kids I work with right now that say that, like, that’s what they are trying to do,” he said.

Community advocate Berry Accius, who works with families affected by gun violence, said Allen’s death is another reminder of the aftermath that shootings leave behind. He said that too often, disputes that might once have ended with words or even a fistfight now escalate almost immediately to gunfire.

Accius described a troubling culture of impulsiveness, where both young and older men see pulling a gun as the first option instead of the last. In his view, moments of reflection, conflict resolution, and emotional intelligence are disappearing, replaced by split-second decisions that end lives and traumatize families.

He added that many people underestimate the permanence of using a gun, treating it as a way to demand respect or prove toughness without fully processing the consequences. There’s no reset button, as on a game console, once a gun is used, Accius said. “It’s permanent,” he said.

For the Humphrey family, the consequences are compounded. “Now it’s the funeral arrangements. Now it’s the broken family. Now it’s more trauma on a family that’s already been traumatized because this is the second person that they’ve lost,” Accius said.