Sacramento authorities are working a violent incident that erupted late Saturday at the Howe Community Park area while officers were dispersing an unlawful assembly of several hundred people.
Before the Gunfire
Officers from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office were first dispatched to the Arden-Arcade park around 6:30 Saturday evening after obtaining information of individuals possibly carrying concealed weapons. Shortly after, a follow-up call was made concerning an alleged brawl breaking out at the location.
Air support scanned the area from the air but found nothing to substantiate the fight report. Regardless, it became clear that a crowd of several hundred had gathered without authorization in an unauthorized manner.
When the Shots Rang Out
Deputies started clearing the unauthorized gathering by surrounding the park and making announcements instructing the crowd to go home. Roughly 15 Howe Park shooting Sacramento minutes were provided for attendees to disperse.
As the crowd was being cleared that upwards of 20 gunshots were discharged. The shots sparked chaos as hundreds ran. Deputies immediately began looking for those injured.
Those Who Were Hit
Altogether, four gunshot victims were located with gunshot injuries. The four individuals — including a female and three males all reportedly in their 20s at the time of the incident — were rushed to local Sacramento hospitals. Medical teams stated that two victims were in serious condition, one of the four had moderate gunshot wounds, and one sustained minor gunshot wounds. Fortunately, all four were expected to survive.
Metro Fire Sacramento were called to the scene and helped triage the four victims at the park.
The Investigation
The center of the incident was confirmed to have been concentrated along Cottage Way close to the local Home Depot on the 2200 block of Howe Avenue. CSI personnel identified additional shell casings on Cottage Way. Bullet damage were noted in the wrought iron perimeter fencing alongside the nearby Home Depot. The physical evidence suggested that one of the gunmen had been firing southward from along Cottage Way aimed at the Home Depot store. That Home Depot location was put under lockdown as a precaution. Forensic investigators and law enforcement detectives continued working for hours.
Detainees in Solano County
Details gathered through scanner monitoring confirmed that a suspect Kia had been stopped in Solano County. Four individuals were taken into custody. Deputies were en route to collect those detained to pick up those detained for questioning. Footage analyzed by investigators confirmed that two shooters had been involved.