Sacramento County deputies are examining a gunfire incident that unfolded Saturday evening at Howe Community Park in the Arden-Arcade area just as authorities website were clearing an unauthorized event of a crowd of several hundred.
How It Started
Officers from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office first arrived at the park on Howe Avenue at approximately half past six in the evening after receiving reports of individuals possibly carrying concealed weapons. Soon after, a second caller reported mentioning an alleged brawl unfolding at the location.
Air support searched from above but came back with no confirmation of a fight. Despite this, authorities discovered that an enormous crowd had congregated at Howe Park in an unauthorized manner.
The Dispersal and Shooting
Deputies set about removing people from the park by setting up around the park's perimeter and making announcements directing the hundreds present to leave immediately. Around 15 minutes were allowed for individuals to vacate.
As the crowd was being cleared that 20 to 25 gunshots rang out. The sudden gunfire triggered a stampede. Deputies immediately began looking for those injured.
Four Gunshot Victims
Altogether, four individuals were discovered with shooting injuries. The four individuals — comprising three men and one woman each apparently in their early to late twenties — were taken to hospitals in the Sacramento area. Medical teams stated that two had critical injury classifications, one of the four had moderate gunshot wounds, and one suffered minor injuries. Thankfully, all four were in stable condition.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District provided support and helped care for those with gunshot wounds before they were taken to the hospital.
Crime Scene Evidence
The bulk of the shooting was confirmed to have unfolded adjacent to the Cottage Way corridor near the Home Depot store located at the 2200 block of Howe Ave. CSI personnel discovered more spent casings on Cottage Way. Projectile impacts were also found in the iron perimeter fence adjacent to the Home Depot. This ballistic evidence suggested that a second shooter had been shooting in a southerly direction from along Cottage Way toward the Home Depot store. The store itself was put under lockdown for a period of time. Crime scene personnel kept processing evidence well into the night.
Suspects Detained
Reports confirmed through scanner monitoring established that a Kia vehicle had been detained in the Solano County area. Four occupants were in the vehicle at the time of the stop. Sacramento law enforcement were traveling to Solano County to bring the suspects back for processing in Sacramento County. Video reviewed at the scene confirmed that there were two gunmen.