Sacramento County Sheriff's Office investigators are investigating a shooting incident that broke out on the evening of April 18 at the Howe Community Park area just as authorities were dispersing an unlawful assembly of several hundred people.
Prior to the Shooting
Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were first dispatched to the Arden-Arcade park at about 6:30 PM on April 18 after receiving reports of individuals who may have had concealed firearms. After that, a second call came in mentioning a possible physical click here fight unfolding at the location.
Aerial units flew over the park but found nothing to substantiate the fight report. Even so, it became clear that a crowd of several hundred had come together at the location without authorization.
When the Shots Rang Out
Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies started clearing the unauthorized gathering by positioning themselves around the crowd and issuing commands over loudspeakers commanding those gathered to leave immediately. Nearly 15 minutes were given for the gathering to break up.
At the height of the dispersal effort that between 20 and 25 rounds were fired. The barrage of gunfire caused mass panic. Deputies at once began identifying shooting victims.
Those Who Were Hit
By the time the scene was secured, four individuals were located with gunshot injuries. The victims — consisting of one woman and three men each reported to be in their early to late twenties — were rushed to hospitals in the Sacramento area. Hospital staff confirmed that two of the four had injuries classified as immediate, one person had injuries of a moderate nature, and one victim's wounds were minor. In a positive development, all four were in stable condition.
Sacramento fire crews arrived on scene and helped care for those who had been shot prior to hospital transport.
The Investigation
The bulk of the shooting appears to have occurred on the Cottage Way corridor near the Home Depot on the 2200 block of Howe Avenue. CSI personnel discovered further ballistic evidence in the form of shell casings on Cottage Way. Bullet holes were noted in the wrought iron perimeter fencing adjacent to the Home Depot store. The physical evidence indicated that at least one shooter had been firing southward from along Cottage Way aimed at the Home Depot. That Home Depot location was put under lockdown while law enforcement worked the area. Crime scene technicians and detectives worked tirelessly late into the evening.
Arrests Made
Reports confirmed over scanner radio traffic established that a vehicle identified as a Kia was intercepted in an area within Solano County. Four people were detained. Sacramento law enforcement were heading to pick up the four detainees to bring the suspects back for questioning. Video evidence showed that there were two gunmen.