Law enforcement in Sacramento are probing a gunfire incident that occurred Saturday night April 18 at Howe Community Park while deputies were dissolving an unauthorized event of a crowd of several hundred.
Before the Gunfire
Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were first called to the park on Howe Avenue around 6:30 PM on April 18 after obtaining information of persons possibly in possession of concealed weapons. Following that, a second caller reported mentioning a reported physical confrontation breaking out at the location.
An overhead unit was sent to survey the area but was unable to locate the read more reported altercation. However, authorities discovered that a crowd of several hundred had come together at the location without authorization.
How the Shooting Unfolded
Law enforcement personnel worked to disperse the crowd by encircling the gathering and making announcements ordering those gathered to disperse at once. About 15 minutes were provided for the crowd to leave.
As the crowd was being cleared that upwards of 20 gunshots were fired. The sudden gunfire triggered a stampede. Responding personnel quickly moved to locating gunshot victims.
Four Victims Hospitalized
By the time the scene was secured, four victims were discovered with shooting injuries. The shooting victims — consisting of one woman and three men each apparently in their early to late twenties — were airlifted or driven to area medical facilities. Doctors and nurses noted that two victims sustained immediate injuries, one of the four had moderate gunshot wounds, and one had injuries classified as minor. In a positive development, all four victims survived and were stable.
Sacramento fire crews also responded and helped care for those with gunshot wounds prior to hospital transport.
Evidence at the Scene
The bulk of the shooting was confirmed to have taken place near the Cottage Way side of the park adjacent to the Home Depot store on the 2200 Howe Avenue block. CSI personnel discovered more spent casings along Cottage Way. Projectile impacts were noted in the iron fence alongside the Home Depot. These discoveries confirmed that a shooter had been shooting in a southerly direction from Cottage Way in the direction of the Home Depot building and parking lot. The nearby Home Depot was placed on lockdown during the incident. Crime scene personnel kept processing evidence through the early morning hours.
Detainees in Solano County
Intelligence received through scanner monitoring showed that a Kia had been stopped in Solano County California. Four individuals were in the vehicle at the time of the stop. Sheriff's units were en route to collect those detained to collect the individuals for processing in Sacramento County. Surveillance footage established that two separate shooters participated in the incident.