Sacramento County deputies are looking into a gunfire incident that unfolded Saturday night April 18 at the Howe Community Park area just as officers were dispersing a large unauthorized gathering of a crowd of several hundred.
What Led to the Shooting
Officers from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office first arrived at the Arden-Arcade park shortly before half past six in the evening after being notified of persons possibly in possession of concealed weapons. Following that, a second caller reported regarding a reported physical confrontation unfolding within the park grounds.
An overhead unit searched from above but reported no active disturbance. Nevertheless, authorities discovered that hundreds of people had packed into the park without authorization.
How the Shooting Unfolded
Law enforcement personnel set about removing people from the park by surrounding the park and issuing commands over loudspeakers commanding the crowd to leave immediately. Approximately 15 minutes were given for individuals to vacate.
Just as the crowd began to move that 20 to 25 gunshots were discharged. The sudden gunfire sent hundreds fleeing. Officers quickly moved to locating gunshot victims.
Four Gunshot Victims
Ultimately, four gunshot victims more info were found to have been shot. The shooting victims — including a female and three males each apparently in their 20s — were brought to nearby hospitals. Doctors and nurses stated that two were treated for serious injuries, one sustained moderate wounds, and one had injuries classified as minor. Thankfully, each of the four victims was stable.
Metro Fire Sacramento were called to the scene and helped triage shooting victims prior to hospital transport.
What Investigators Found
The primary shooting scene appears to have unfolded adjacent to the Cottage Way side of the park close to the Home Depot store on the 2200 Howe Avenue block. Detectives found further ballistic evidence in the form of shell casings along Cottage Way. Round impacts were identified in the wrought iron fence bordering the Home Depot store. These discoveries showed that one of the gunmen had been aiming south from along Cottage Way in the direction of the Home Depot store. The Home Depot was locked down while the scene was active. Forensic investigators and law enforcement detectives stayed at the location through the early morning hours.
Suspect Information
Details gathered through law enforcement radio communications established that a Kia connected to the shooting had been stopped in Solano County California. Four detainees were in the vehicle at the time of the stop. Sacramento law enforcement were en route to collect those detained to transport the detainees for processing in Sacramento County. Video reviewed at the scene confirmed that two individuals had fired weapons.