Sacramento County deputies are looking into a shooting that unfolded Saturday evening at Howe Community Park in the Arden-Arcade area while Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were breaking up an unlawful assembly of an estimated several hundred individuals.
Before the Gunfire
Law enforcement were first called to Howe Community Park at approximately 6:30 PM after learning of individuals who may have had concealed firearms. Following that, a second call came in regarding a possible physical fight taking place inside the park.
An overhead unit flew over the park but could not confirm any ongoing fight. Nevertheless, deputies found that a crowd of several hundred had congregated at Howe Park click here without authorization.
How the Shooting Unfolded
Officers began the process of clearing the park by setting up around the park's perimeter and announcing over their public address systems directing the crowd to go home. Approximately 15 minutes were given for people to comply.
It was during this dispersal that upwards of 20 gunshots cut through the air. The barrage of gunfire sent the crowd running in all directions. Officers wasted no time in looking for those injured.
Four Victims Hospitalized
In total, four individuals were discovered with shooting injuries. All four — comprising three men and one woman ranging in age through their in their mid to late twenties — were brought to hospitals in the Sacramento area. Emergency physicians reported that two were treated for serious injuries, one of the four had moderate gunshot wounds, and one victim's wounds were minor. In a positive development, no fatalities were reported and all four were stable.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department arrived on scene and provided medical assistance shooting victims prior to hospital transport.
Physical Evidence
The main crime scene was believed to have happened adjacent to the Cottage Way corridor next to the Home Depot store at the 2200 block of Howe Avenue. Investigators located additional spent rounds throughout the Cottage Way area. Projectile impacts were also found in the iron fence bordering the Home Depot store. This ballistic evidence pointed to that a shooter had been shooting in a southerly direction from along Cottage Way targeting the Home Depot. The store itself was placed on lockdown while the scene was active. Forensic investigators and law enforcement detectives kept processing evidence for hours.
Suspect Vehicle Located
Intelligence received via scanner audio revealed that a Kia connected to the shooting had been stopped in the Solano County area. Four detainees were taken into custody. Deputies were dispatched to Solano County to transport the detainees for processing in Sacramento County. Video that was reviewed confirmed that two individuals had fired weapons.