Officials in Sacramento County are examining a shooting that took place Saturday evening at the Howe Community Park area while authorities were dissolving a large unauthorized gathering of hundreds of attendees.
Before the Gunfire
Law enforcement first arrived at the Arden-Arcade park shortly before 6:30 Saturday evening after learning of subjects reportedly carrying hidden weapons. Shortly after, a second call came in describing a potential altercation happening near the park.
Air support searched from above but was unable to locate the reported altercation. Despite this, it was evident that a massive group had congregated at Howe Park without any permit or approval.
When the Shots Rang Out
Responding units set about removing people from the park by forming a perimeter and issuing commands over loudspeakers directing those gathered to vacate the area. Nearly 15 minutes were provided for the gathering to break up.
While deputies worked to disperse the gathering that 20 to 25 rounds of ammunition echoed through the night. Gunfire sparked chaos as hundreds ran. Officers swiftly started looking for those injured.
Four Gunshot Victims
When the dust settled, four people were located with gunshot injuries. All four — made up of one woman and three men each apparently in their early to late twenties — were taken to nearby hospitals. Medical teams reported that two victims sustained immediate injuries, one of the four had moderate gunshot wounds, and one sustained minor gunshot wounds. Fortunately, no fatalities were reported and all four were stable.
Metro Fire Sacramento also responded and assisted with medical triage shooting victims before they were taken to the hospital.
Physical Evidence
Most of the gunfire appears to have occurred near the Cottage Way corridor close to the local Home Depot at the 2200 Howe Avenue block. Law enforcement investigators recovered additional spent rounds throughout the Cottage Way area. Bullet damage were also found in the iron perimeter fence adjacent to the nearby Home Depot. These discoveries pointed to that one of the gunmen had been firing southward from along Cottage Way targeting the Home Depot store. The nearby Home Depot was temporarily read more locked down for a period of time. Forensic investigators and law enforcement detectives continued working throughout the night.
Detainees in Solano County
Details gathered through scanner monitoring confirmed that a Kia vehicle was pulled over in Solano County. Four suspects were taken into custody. Deputies were sent to retrieve the detainees to transport the detainees for further questioning. Video that was reviewed made clear that two separate shooters participated in the incident.