Sacramento County Sheriff's Office investigators are investigating a shooting that took place Saturday night April 18 at the Howe Community Park area as deputies were shutting down an unauthorized event of several hundred people.
Background
Sacramento County law enforcement were first called to the Arden-Arcade park at about 6:30 Saturday evening after getting calls of persons possibly in possession of concealed weapons. Soon after, additional information came in about a potential altercation happening at the location.
A sheriff's airship conducted an aerial sweep but found nothing to substantiate the fight report. Even so, it was evident that hundreds of people had packed into the park without any permit or approval.
The Dispersal and Shooting
Officers set about removing people from the park by encircling the gathering and broadcasting over loudspeakers directing attendees to clear out. Approximately 15 minutes were given for the crowd to leave.
As the crowd was being cleared that upwards of 20 gunshots cut through the air. The shots sparked chaos as hundreds ran. Officers quickly moved to identifying shooting victims.
The Shooting Victims
By the time the scene was secured, four shooting victims were identified as having gunshot wounds. Those injured — made up of one woman and three men each reported to be in their early to late twenties — were brought to nearby hospitals. Emergency physicians reported that two of the four had injuries classified as immediate, one person had injuries of a moderate nature, and one person's injuries were considered minor. Thankfully, all four were in stable condition.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department were called to the scene and helped triage shooting victims before they were taken to the hospital.
Crime Scene Evidence
The bulk of the click here shooting was believed to have taken place near the Cottage Way corridor alongside the Home Depot store located at the 2200 block of Howe Ave. Investigators identified extra shell casings scattered along Cottage Way. Bullet damage were also found in the wrought iron perimeter fencing alongside the nearby Home Depot. This ballistic evidence showed that at least one of the shooters had been firing southward from Cottage Way toward the Home Depot. The Home Depot was put under lockdown as a precaution. CSI investigators and detectives stayed at the location through the early morning hours.
Suspect Vehicle Located
Information relayed over scanner radio traffic indicated that a Kia vehicle had been stopped in nearby Solano County. Four individuals were taken into custody. Sheriff's units were sent to retrieve the detainees to collect the individuals for questioning. Surveillance footage showed that there were two gunmen.