Officials in Sacramento County are looking into a gunfire incident that erupted Saturday evening at Howe Community Park at the time authorities were shutting down an unlawful assembly of hundreds of attendees.
What Led to the Shooting
Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies initially got calls about the Arden-Arcade park at approximately 6:30 Saturday evening after receiving reports of individuals who may have had concealed firearms. Soon after, a second caller reported about an alleged brawl taking place within the park grounds.
An overhead unit scanned the area from the air but found nothing to substantiate the fight report. Nevertheless, it was evident that a massive group had assembled at the park without any permit or approval.
The Shooting Itself
Responding units moved to clear the area by positioning themselves around the crowd and issuing commands over loudspeakers instructing the hundreds unauthorized gathering shooting Sacramento present to disperse at once. Approximately 15 minutes were given for people to comply.
While deputies worked to disperse the gathering that upwards of 20 gunshots were fired. Gunfire triggered a stampede. Deputies quickly moved to locating gunshot victims.
Four Gunshot Victims
When the dust settled, four gunshot victims were found to have been shot. Those injured — made up of one woman and three men ranging in age through their in their 20s — were airlifted or driven to hospitals in the Sacramento area. Doctors and nurses reported that two were treated for serious injuries, one of the four had moderate gunshot wounds, and one suffered minor injuries. In a positive development, all four victims survived and were stable.
Metro Fire Sacramento assisted at the location and assisted with medical triage the injured on location.
Evidence at the Scene
Most of the gunfire was confirmed to have occurred adjacent to the Cottage Way corridor adjacent to the Home Depot on the 2200 Howe Avenue block. Crime scene investigators found further ballistic evidence in the form of shell casings on Cottage Way. Round impacts were observed in the metal fencing near the nearby Home Depot. The physical evidence suggested that at least one of the shooters had been aiming south from along Cottage Way toward the Home Depot. The store itself was secured under a brief lockdown as a precaution. Crime scene personnel kept processing evidence throughout the night.
Suspects Detained
Intelligence received via scanner audio established that a Kia was pulled over in an area within Solano County. Four detainees were in the vehicle at the time of the stop. Law enforcement units were dispatched to Solano County to return them to Sacramento for questioning. Footage analyzed by investigators made clear that two shooters had been involved.