Sacramento County deputies are probing a shooting incident that erupted Saturday evening at the Howe Community Park area just as authorities were dissolving an unsanctioned gathering of a crowd of several hundred.
How It Started
Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies initially got calls about the Arden-Arcade park at about 6:30 in the evening after receiving reports of people potentially armed with concealed firearms. Following that, another report was received concerning a reported physical confrontation occurring near the park.
Aerial units scanned the area from the air but reported no active disturbance. Despite this, it became clear that several hundred individuals had packed into the park in an unauthorized manner.
The Shooting Itself
Deputies moved to clear the area by positioning themselves around the crowd and announcing over their public address systems telling those gathered to leave immediately. Roughly 15 minutes were allotted for people to comply.
As the crowd was being cleared that an estimated 20 to 25 shots were discharged. The barrage of gunfire caused mass more info panic. Responding personnel quickly moved to finding those who had been shot.
Four Gunshot Victims
By the time the scene was secured, four shooting victims were discovered with shooting injuries. The shooting victims — a group of one female and three male victims each apparently in their mid to late twenties — were transported to nearby hospitals. Medical personnel stated that two of the four had injuries classified as immediate, one victim's injuries were classified as moderate, and one had injuries classified as minor. Fortunately, all four were expected to survive.
Sacramento fire crews provided support and helped care for the four victims at the scene.
Crime Scene Evidence
The primary shooting scene was believed to have unfolded near Cottage Way alongside the Home Depot store situated at the 2200 block of Howe Avenue. CSI personnel found more spent casings on the Cottage Way roadway. Bullet holes were observed in the metal fencing alongside the nearby Home Depot. These discoveries pointed to that at least one of the shooters had been discharging rounds toward the south from the Cottage Way area in the direction of the Home Depot building and parking lot. The store itself was put under lockdown as a precaution. Forensic investigators and law enforcement detectives continued working for hours.
Suspect Vehicle Located
Details gathered over scanner radio traffic indicated that a Kia was intercepted in nearby Solano County. Four individuals were stopped and detained. Sheriff's units were heading to pick up the four detainees to bring the suspects back for further questioning. Footage analyzed by investigators made clear that two individuals had fired weapons.