Sacramento authorities are probing a shooting incident that took place Saturday night April 18 at Howe Community Park while Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were shutting down a large unauthorized gathering of multiple hundreds of people.
Before the Gunfire
Law enforcement initially got calls about Howe Park just after 6:30 PM on April 18 after obtaining information of subjects reportedly carrying hidden weapons. Shortly after, a second call came in concerning a possible physical fight taking place within the park grounds.
An overhead unit scanned the area from the air but reported no active disturbance. Nevertheless, deputies found that a crowd of several hundred had come together at the location without any permit or approval.
How the Shooting Unfolded
Law enforcement personnel set about removing people from the park by encircling the gathering and issuing commands over loudspeakers instructing the assembled crowd to vacate the area. Around 15 minutes were provided for attendees to disperse.
At the height of the dispersal effort that 20 to 25 rounds of ammunition were fired. The barrage of gunfire caused mass panic. Deputies swiftly started identifying shooting victims.
Four Gunshot Victims
Ultimately, four victims were discovered with shooting injuries. The four individuals — a group of one female and three male victims all believed to be in their mid to late twenties — were rushed to hospitals in the Sacramento area. Emergency physicians indicated that two of the four had injuries classified as immediate, one had moderate injuries, and one victim's wounds were minor. According to authorities, no fatalities were reported and all four were stable.
Sacramento Metro Fire also responded and assisted with medical triage the injured on location.
Physical Evidence
The bulk of the shooting seemed to have occurred on Cottage Way close to the local Home Depot located at the 2200 block of Howe Ave. CSI personnel located extra shell casings throughout the Cottage Way area. Bullet holes were discovered in the wrought iron read more fence surrounding the nearby Home Depot. These discoveries pointed to that a shooter had been firing southward from the Cottage Way area aimed at the Home Depot. The Home Depot was locked down while the scene was active. Crime scene technicians and detectives remained on scene for hours.
Detainees in Solano County
Intelligence received over police scanner frequencies indicated that a Kia vehicle was contacted by law enforcement in nearby Solano County. Four individuals were in the vehicle at the time of the stop. Sacramento law enforcement were heading to pick up the four detainees to transport the detainees for processing in Sacramento County. Surveillance footage established that there were two gunmen.