Officials in Sacramento County are working a shooting incident that broke out on the evening of April 18 at Howe Community Park as law enforcement were breaking up an unlawful assembly of a crowd of several hundred.
Before the Gunfire
Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were first called to Howe Park at about 6:30 PM on April 18 after receiving reports of individuals who may have had concealed firearms. Soon after, another report was received mentioning a reported physical confrontation occurring within the park grounds.
Aerial units flew over the park but reported no active disturbance. However, authorities discovered that a massive group had congregated at Howe Park without official sanction.
The Shooting Itself
Law enforcement personnel worked to disperse the crowd by setting up around the park's perimeter and broadcasting over loudspeakers commanding the hundreds present to disperse at once. Around 15 minutes were allotted for individuals to vacate.
It was during this dispersal that upwards of 20 gunshots were discharged. The shots triggered a stampede. Officers at once began finding those who had been shot.
Four People Shot
Altogether, four people were located with gunshot injuries. Those injured — including a female and three males all reportedly in their 20s at the time of the incident — were airlifted or driven to Sacramento area hospitals. Medical personnel indicated that two were treated for serious injuries, one victim's injuries were classified as moderate, and one had injuries classified as minor. In a positive development, all four victims survived and were stable.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department were called to the scene and helped care for the injured at the scene.
What Investigators Found
The center of the incident appears to have been concentrated on Cottage Way here near the Home Depot store on the 2200 block of Howe Ave. Crime scene investigators found more spent casings on Cottage Way. Bullet damage were observed in the iron perimeter fence bordering the Home Depot store. This ballistic evidence indicated that at least one of the shooters had been shooting in a southerly direction from the Cottage Way area in the direction of the Home Depot store. That Home Depot location was secured under a brief lockdown during the incident. Crime scene personnel worked tirelessly through the early morning hours.
Suspect Vehicle Located
Details gathered via scanner audio indicated that a Kia vehicle had been detained in Solano County. Four suspects were detained. Law enforcement units were heading to pick up the four detainees to collect the individuals for investigation. Video evidence showed that two individuals had fired weapons.