Officials in Sacramento County are working a shooting that erupted Saturday night April 18 at the Howe Community Park area as deputies were shutting down an unauthorized event of hundreds of attendees.
Before the Gunfire
Sacramento County law enforcement were first dispatched to the park on Howe Avenue at approximately 6:30 PM on April 18 after getting calls of subjects reportedly carrying hidden weapons. Not long after, a follow-up call was made concerning a reported physical confrontation taking place at the location.
A sheriff's airship was sent to survey the area but found nothing to substantiate the fight report. Even so, deputies found that several hundred individuals had come together at the location without official sanction.
The Dispersal and Shooting
Law enforcement personnel set about removing people from the park by setting up around the park's perimeter and announcing over their public address systems ordering those gathered to vacate the area. Nearly 15 minutes were provided for attendees to disperse.
As the crowd was being cleared that between 20 and 25 rounds echoed through the night. The rapid succession of shots caused mass panic. Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies at once began locating gunshot victims.
Those Who Were Hit
When the dust settled, four gunshot victims were confirmed as gunshot victims. The victims — a group of one female and three male victims ranging in age through their in their early to late twenties — were rushed to hospitals in the Sacramento area. Medical teams indicated that two had critical injury classifications, one had moderate injuries, and one person's injuries were considered minor. In a positive development, all four victims survived and were stable.
Metro Fire Sacramento provided support and helped triage shooting victims on location.
Evidence at the Scene
The bulk of the shooting appears to have been concentrated near the Cottage Way side of the park close to the Home Depot store located at the 2200 Howe Avenue block. Crime scene investigators recovered additional spent rounds throughout the Cottage Way area. Round impacts were discovered in the wrought iron perimeter fencing near the Home Depot store. This evidence pointed to that a second shooter had been shooting in a southerly direction from the Cottage Way area in the direction of the Home Depot. The nearby Home Depot was put under lockdown as a precaution. Crime scene personnel worked tirelessly throughout the night.
Suspects Detained
Information obtained over Howe Park shooting Sacramento scanner radio traffic confirmed that a suspect Kia was intercepted in Solano County. Four suspects were detained. Law enforcement units were traveling to Solano County to return them to Sacramento for formal questioning. Surveillance footage revealed that two shooters had been involved.