Officials in Sacramento County are looking into a gun violence incident that unfolded Saturday night April 18 at Howe Community Howe Park shooting Sacramento Park just as authorities were shutting down an unsanctioned gathering of hundreds of attendees.
Prior to the Shooting
Officers from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office initially responded to the park on Howe Avenue just after 6:30 PM on April 18 after being notified of people potentially armed with concealed firearms. After that, a follow-up call was made mentioning a reported physical confrontation happening within the park grounds.
An overhead unit flew over the park but was unable to locate the reported altercation. Nevertheless, authorities discovered that hundreds of people had congregated at Howe Park without permission.
How the Shooting Unfolded
Law enforcement personnel moved to clear the area by setting up around the park's perimeter and issuing commands over loudspeakers instructing the crowd to leave immediately. Approximately 15 minutes were given for the crowd to leave.
At the height of the dispersal effort that 20 to 25 rounds of ammunition were fired. The sudden gunfire triggered a stampede. Responding personnel quickly moved to identifying shooting victims.
Those Who Were Hit
In total, four shooting victims were located with gunshot injuries. All four — a group of one female and three male victims all reportedly in their early to late twenties — were taken to nearby hospitals. Hospital staff confirmed that two had critical injury classifications, one person had injuries of a moderate nature, and one victim's wounds were minor. As of last report, no fatalities were reported and all four were stable.
Sacramento Metro Fire were called to the scene and helped triage those with gunshot wounds before they were taken to the hospital.
Physical Evidence
Most of the gunfire appears to have been concentrated adjacent to Cottage Way adjacent to the local Home Depot located at the 2200 block of Howe Ave. Investigators found additional shell casings throughout the Cottage Way area. Round impacts were noted in the iron fence bordering the Home Depot store. This ballistic evidence pointed to that at least one shooter had been discharging rounds toward the south from along Cottage Way aimed at the Home Depot building and parking lot. The Home Depot was secured under a brief lockdown for a period of time. Crime scene technicians and detectives continued working for hours.
Suspects Detained
Intelligence received over scanner radio traffic established that a Kia vehicle had been detained in nearby Solano County. Four detainees were stopped and detained. Deputies were traveling to Solano County to return them to Sacramento for processing in Sacramento County. Video evidence made clear that two individuals had fired weapons.