Law enforcement in Sacramento are examining a shooting that took place on the evening of April 18 at the Howe Community Park area at the moment Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were shutting down an unauthorized event of hundreds of attendees.
Background
Officers from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office were first called to the Arden-Arcade park around 6:30 in the evening after getting calls of individuals who may have had concealed firearms. Not long after, additional information came in regarding a reported physical confrontation unfolding at the location.
An overhead unit searched from above but was unable to locate the reported altercation. Regardless, deputies found that several hundred individuals had gathered without authorization without official sanction.
The Dispersal and Shooting
Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies set about removing people from the park by encircling the gathering and making website announcements directing the hundreds present to disperse at once. About 15 minutes were spent for the crowd to leave.
As the crowd was being cleared that upwards of 20 gunshots cut through the air. Gunfire triggered a stampede. Responding personnel immediately began finding those who had been shot.
Four People Shot
Ultimately, four gunshot victims were located with gunshot injuries. The four individuals — comprising three men and one woman ranging in age through their in their early to late twenties — were rushed to nearby hospitals. Medical personnel reported that two had critical injury classifications, one had moderate injuries, and one person's injuries were considered minor. In a positive development, all four victims survived and were stable.
Metro Fire Sacramento assisted at the location and aided in treating those who had been shot prior to hospital transport.
Physical Evidence
The primary shooting scene was determined to have been concentrated adjacent to Cottage Way near the Home Depot located at the 2200 Howe Avenue block. Law enforcement investigators recovered additional shell casings on the Cottage Way roadway. Bullet holes were observed in the wrought iron perimeter fencing bordering the nearby Home Depot. The physical evidence pointed to that at least one of the shooters had been sending rounds south from Cottage Way toward the Home Depot. The store itself was secured under a brief lockdown while the scene was active. CSI investigators and detectives stayed at the location well into the night.
Suspect Vehicle Located
Details gathered over police scanner frequencies showed that a vehicle identified as a Kia had been stopped in an area within Solano County. Four occupants were held for questioning. Deputies were heading to pick up the four detainees to transport the detainees for formal questioning. Video evidence established that two shooters had been involved.