Sacramento County deputies are looking into a gun violence incident that broke out Saturday evening at Howe Community Park in the Arden-Arcade area while Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were clearing a large unauthorized gathering of multiple hundreds of people.
Background
Law enforcement initially got calls about the park at about 6:30 PM after receiving reports of persons possibly in possession of concealed weapons. Soon after, a second caller reported describing a potential altercation breaking out near the park.
Air support scanned the area from the air but came back with no confirmation of a fight. Despite this, it was evident that a crowd of several hundred had come together at the location without permission.
The Moment Gunfire Erupted
Law enforcement personnel set about removing people from the park by Howe Park shooting Sacramento surrounding the park and issuing commands over loudspeakers commanding those gathered to vacate the area. Around 15 minutes were allotted for the crowd to leave.
At the height of the dispersal effort that 20 to 25 gunshots rang out. The shots sent the crowd running in all directions. Officers at once began finding those who had been shot.
Four Gunshot Victims
Altogether, four individuals were found to have been shot. The shooting victims — consisting of one woman and three men all believed to be in their twenties — were rushed to hospitals in the Sacramento area. Emergency physicians indicated that two were treated for serious injuries, one sustained moderate wounds, and one had injuries classified as minor. According to authorities, all four victims survived and were stable.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department assisted at the location and aided in treating the injured before they were taken to the hospital.
Physical Evidence
The bulk of the shooting appears to have unfolded near Cottage Way near the Home Depot located at the 2200 block of Howe Ave. Crime scene investigators identified additional shell casings throughout the Cottage Way area. Ballistic damage were also found in the wrought iron perimeter fencing alongside the Home Depot store. These findings indicated that at least one of the shooters had been aiming south from Cottage Way toward the Home Depot store. That Home Depot location was placed on lockdown for a period of time. CSI investigators and detectives continued working for hours.
Suspect Vehicle Located
Information relayed over scanner radio traffic revealed that a Kia connected to the shooting had been detained in the Solano County area. Four occupants were in the vehicle at the time of the stop. Deputies were en route to collect those detained to return them to Sacramento for questioning. Video evidence established that the shooting involved two separate gunmen.