The suspected shooter in the Nov. 13 Sourdough and Co. incident, 19-year-old Jade Cutrer from Santa Rosa, was being held in Sonoma County jail with a $1 million dollar bail under suspicion of child endangerment, possession of firearm without a serial number and attempted murder, but was released on Nov.15 without any charges. Following the suspect’s release from jail, the friends and family of the 16-year-old shooting victim that was shot while working last week have begun speaking out about the incident on social media and to reporters as the attack appears to have been targeted.
Nakahla Hill Rush, the victim’s sister, started a Facebook page to bring awareness for what happened to her 16-year-old sister. She describes that Jade Cutrer has been released with no charges against her even though there was eye witness evidence and video surveillance. Rush states, “The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office, District Attorney’s Office & DA Jill Ravitch are failing to protect the safety of and seek justice for Kaihlea, a juvenile crime victim of gun violence.”
A former friend described the victim as a young, great girl with a bright and gorgeous smile. The friend explains that the victim is recovering but could’ve died the night of the shooting if one of the other minors who was present didn’t choose to help. According to the friend, a gun without a serial number was recovered at the scene, which means Cutrer, the shooting suspect, brought it with her to work.
The friend stated, “There has been ZERO justice for the victim, she’s in pain, confined to a bed, and that gorgeous smile of hers hasn’t been seen by too many since the incident.” The friend is worried that since Cutrer is in the same town walking around and the victim is in the hospital recovering, what happens if she attempts for a second time? The friend feels that the system is failing to protect the safety of a minor where an adult who is walking free without any punishment for bringing an illegal gun to work and attempting murder towards a minor at work while endangering more than just a few children.
Callie Adams, a fourth year SSU student with a double major in communications and political science, is an employee at Sourdough and Co. but wasn’t present when the shooting happened. Adams reports that the shooter waited until all of her coworkers left except for one, and that the coworker knew that the shooter might have planned to hurt the victim.
Rohnert Park Police Department believe that the shooting was not a “random act of violence because they knew each other since both are employees at the store. The establishment closes at 7 p.m. so at the time of the shooting there were customers present, but no other injuries were reported.
Sourdough & Co. was open the day after the attack which led people to speculate whether or not management handled this traumatic situation the right way. The employees aren’t required to work and despite what happened they have all chosen to stay. They are free to seek counseling if needed, Adams states, “I’m sure that management would support us if we needed counseling, but none of us have looked into it.“ She emphasized that the restaurant is completely safe other than what occurred, and they are all just shaken up trying to move on.
Sourdough & Co. District Manager Daniel Neal told the Press Democrat, “Unfortunately, our name got dragged through the mud and, as you can see, it’s lunch time,” Neal stated while showing a room without customers.
The Sonoma Scanner Instagram page posted about the Sourdough & Co. shooting. In response, a local commented, “Murder Park.” An Urban Dictionary post from 2005 defines “Murder Park” as, “The itty bitty city in the North Bay. Where bud gets rolled, sold, and blowed. Crime is on the steady rise and if you slip you could die. 707 is the area code where game is sold not told.” Locals described that Rohnert Park is no longer the “friendly city” that they once knew.
In a Press Democrat article, Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch said, “We are working closely with Rohnert Park to get the information necessary to make a decision on whether or not to file charges before the next court date.” Ravitch described that her office needs more evidence before deciding to press charges.
Cutrer has a set court date on Nov.30 at 8:30 a.m. in Sonoma County Superior Court at Santa Rosa.
COURTESY // @ Nakahla Hill-Rush Facebook
The 19-year-old Sourdough and Co. employee suspected of shooting her 16-year-old coworker was released from jail but has a court date set for Nov. 30.