Officials in Sacramento County are investigating a shooting incident that erupted Saturday night April 18 at Howe Park at the moment officers were dispersing an unauthorized event of a crowd of several hundred.
Background
Law enforcement initially got calls about the park just after 6:30 Saturday evening after obtaining information of subjects reportedly carrying hidden weapons. Howe Park shooting Sacramento Shortly after, another report was received concerning a potential altercation taking place at Howe Park.
Air support scanned the area from the air but could not confirm any ongoing fight. However, deputies found that several hundred individuals had assembled at the park without authorization.
When the Shots Rang Out
Officers set about removing people from the park by surrounding the park and using their vehicle PA systems commanding the crowd to leave immediately. Roughly 15 minutes were allowed for individuals to vacate.
While deputies worked to disperse the gathering that 20 to 25 rounds of ammunition rang out. The rapid succession of shots caused mass panic. Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies quickly moved to finding those who had been shot.
Four People Shot
In total, four shooting victims were discovered with shooting injuries. The victims — consisting of one woman and three men each apparently in their twenties — were rushed to Sacramento area hospitals. Doctors and nurses indicated that two had critical injury classifications, one person had injuries of a moderate nature, and one victim's wounds were minor. Fortunately, all four were in stable condition.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department were called to the scene and helped triage the injured at the scene.
The Investigation
The main crime scene was confirmed to have unfolded on Cottage Way alongside the local Home Depot at the 2200 Howe Avenue block. Detectives located extra shell casings on Cottage Way. Ballistic damage were also found in the metal fencing adjacent to the nearby Home Depot. This ballistic evidence suggested that one of the gunmen had been firing southward from the Cottage Way area in the direction of the Home Depot building and parking lot. That Home Depot location was put under lockdown for a period of time. CSI units alongside detectives worked tirelessly throughout the night.
Suspect Information
Intelligence received via scanner audio established that a Kia connected to the shooting had been detained in the Solano County area. Four people were detained. Sacramento law enforcement were traveling to Solano County to return them to Sacramento for formal questioning. Video reviewed at the scene confirmed that the shooting involved two separate gunmen.