Officials in Sacramento County are probing a gun violence incident that occurred Saturday night April 18 at Howe Park here in Sacramento as officers were dispersing an unauthorized event of an estimated several hundred individuals.
Before the Gunfire
Deputies initially got calls about Howe Park just after half past six in the evening after receiving reports of individuals who may have had concealed firearms. After that, a second call came in concerning a reported physical confrontation unfolding at Howe Park.
A law enforcement helicopter flew over the park but could not confirm any ongoing fight. Nevertheless, authorities discovered that hundreds of people had assembled at the park without official sanction.
The Moment Gunfire Erupted
Responding units set about removing people from the park by setting up around the park's perimeter and issuing commands over loudspeakers commanding the crowd to go home. Roughly 15 minutes were allotted for individuals to vacate.
Just as the crowd began to move that 20 to 25 gunshots rang out. The barrage of gunfire sparked chaos as hundreds ran. Officers immediately began identifying shooting victims.
Four Victims Hospitalized
Altogether, four individuals were confirmed as gunshot victims. The four individuals — comprising three men and one woman each reported to be in their mid to late twenties — were rushed to area medical facilities. Hospital staff stated that two of the four had injuries classified as immediate, one had moderate injuries, and one had injuries classified as minor. According to authorities, all four were expected to survive.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District provided support and provided medical assistance the injured prior to hospital transport.
What Investigators Found
The bulk of the shooting was confirmed to have taken place near the Cottage Way corridor alongside the Home Depot at the 2200 block of Howe Ave. Investigators identified more spent casings throughout the Cottage Way area. Bullet holes were observed in the wrought iron perimeter fencing near the Home Depot store. This ballistic evidence showed that at least one of the shooters had been firing southward from the Cottage Way area aimed at the Home Depot store. The Home Depot was secured under a brief lockdown while the scene was active. CSI units alongside detectives stayed at the location through the early morning hours.
Arrests Made
Information obtained through scanner monitoring confirmed that a suspect Kia was intercepted in the Solano County area. Four occupants were in the vehicle at the time of the stop. Sacramento law enforcement were sent to retrieve the detainees to return them to Sacramento for questioning. Video reviewed at the scene made clear that the shooting involved two separate gunmen.