Officials in Sacramento County are investigating a gun violence incident that occurred Saturday night April 18 at Howe Community Park at the moment Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were shutting down an unlawful assembly of multiple hundreds of people.
Background
Sacramento County law enforcement initially got calls about the park at approximately 6:30 PM after receiving reports of subjects reportedly carrying hidden weapons. Shortly after, a follow-up call was made describing a possible physical fight happening inside the park.
An overhead unit was sent to survey the area but was unable to locate the reported altercation. Even so, it was evident that a massive group had congregated at Howe Park without authorization.
The Dispersal and Shooting
Responding units set about removing people from the park by surrounding the park and issuing commands over loudspeakers directing the assembled crowd to vacate the area. Nearly 15 minutes were allowed for the gathering to break up.
At the height of the dispersal effort that 20 to 25 rounds of ammunition were fired. The rapid succession of shots triggered a stampede. Deputies swiftly started locating gunshot victims.
The Shooting Victims
In total, four victims were discovered with shooting injuries. Those injured — a group of one female and three male victims ranging in age through their in their 20s at the time of the incident — were taken to area medical facilities. Emergency physicians confirmed that two had critical injury classifications, one had moderate injuries, and one had injuries classified as minor. Thankfully, all four were in stable condition.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District assisted at the location and provided medical assistance the injured on location.
What Investigators Found
The bulk of the shooting appears to have taken place on the Cottage Way side of the park alongside the Home Depot situated at the 2200 block of Howe Avenue. Investigators recovered additional shell casings along Cottage Way. Bullet holes were discovered in the iron perimeter fence bordering the nearby Home Depot. The physical evidence confirmed that at least one of the shooters had been shooting in a southerly direction from Cottage Way aimed at the Home Depot building and parking lot. The nearby Home Depot was put under lockdown as a precaution. CSI units alongside detectives remained on scene late into the get more info evening.
Detainees in Solano County
Reports confirmed via scanner audio indicated that a Kia connected to the shooting was pulled over in nearby Solano County. Four individuals were taken into custody. Law enforcement units were sent to retrieve the detainees to collect the individuals for questioning. Video evidence showed that two separate shooters participated in the incident.