Officials in Sacramento County are working a gunfire incident that unfolded Saturday night April 18 at Howe Community Park at the time deputies were breaking up an unlawful assembly of hundreds of attendees.
How It Started
Officers from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office initially got calls about the Arden-Arcade park just after 6:30 Saturday evening after receiving reports of individuals who may have had concealed firearms. Following that, a second caller reported about an alleged brawl taking place near the park.
Air support flew over the park but came back with no confirmation of a fight. Even so, authorities discovered that several hundred individuals had gathered without authorization without permission.
When the Shots Rang Out
Deputies started clearing the unauthorized gathering by encircling the gathering and announcing over their public address systems commanding those gathered to vacate the area. About 15 minutes were allowed for attendees to disperse.
As the crowd was being cleared that 20 to 25 rounds of ammunition were fired. The barrage read more of gunfire sent the crowd running in all directions. Officers swiftly started finding those who had been shot.
Four Victims Hospitalized
Ultimately, four victims were identified as having gunshot wounds. The victims — consisting of one woman and three men all believed to be in their twenties — were transported to local Sacramento hospitals. Emergency physicians stated that two of the four had injuries classified as immediate, one sustained moderate wounds, and one sustained minor gunshot wounds. Fortunately, no fatalities were reported and all four were stable.
Metro Fire Sacramento assisted at the location and assisted with medical triage those who had been shot on location.
The Investigation
The main crime scene appears to have happened on the Cottage Way corridor close to the Home Depot store on the 2200 Howe Avenue block. Investigators located additional spent rounds on the Cottage Way roadway. Ballistic damage were discovered in the iron fence alongside the Home Depot store. The physical evidence showed that at least one shooter had been discharging rounds toward the south from the Cottage Way area aimed at the Home Depot building and parking lot. The nearby Home Depot was locked down while law enforcement worked the area. Forensic investigators and law enforcement detectives continued working late into the evening.
Suspect Information
Reports confirmed through scanner monitoring revealed that a Kia vehicle had been detained in an area within Solano County. Four people were in the vehicle at the time of the stop. Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were traveling to Solano County to bring the suspects back for investigation. Surveillance footage revealed that two individuals had fired weapons.