Sacramento County deputies are investigating a gun violence incident that occurred on the evening of April 18 at Howe Community Park in the Arden-Arcade area at the moment authorities were dissolving an unlawful assembly of an estimated several hundred individuals.
Before the Gunfire
Officers from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office initially got calls about Howe Community Park at approximately 6:30 PM after learning of people potentially armed with concealed firearms. Not long after, a follow-up call was made mentioning an alleged brawl breaking out inside the park.
An overhead unit flew over the park but reported no active disturbance. Nevertheless, it became clear that a crowd of several hundred had assembled at the park without official sanction.
The Moment Gunfire Erupted
Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies worked to disperse the crowd by surrounding the park and issuing commands over loudspeakers directing attendees to clear out. About 15 minutes were provided for the gathering to break up.
As the crowd was being cleared that between 20 and 25 rounds cut through the air. The shots sent hundreds fleeing. Officers swiftly started finding those who had been shot.
The Shooting Victims
Altogether, four shooting victims were found to have been shot. The four individuals — comprising three men and one woman all reportedly in their mid to late twenties — were brought to area medical facilities. Medical personnel confirmed that two had critical injury classifications, one victim's injuries were classified as moderate, and one suffered minor injuries. Fortunately, all four were in stable condition.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department assisted at the location and assisted with medical triage shooting victims at the park.
Physical Evidence
The primary shooting scene seemed to have occurred adjacent to the Cottage Way side of the park near the local Home Depot at the 2200 block of Howe Ave. Detectives located additional spent rounds scattered along Cottage Way. Ballistic damage were noted in the iron fence bordering the Home Depot. The physical evidence confirmed that at least one of the shooters had been shooting in a southerly direction from the Cottage Way area toward the Home Depot building and parking lot. The store itself was secured under a brief lockdown while the here scene was active. CSI investigators and detectives kept processing evidence late into the evening.
Arrests Made
Information relayed through law enforcement radio communications showed that a Kia connected to the shooting had been detained in Solano County California. Four suspects were in the vehicle at the time of the stop. Law enforcement units were sent to retrieve the detainees to pick up those detained for investigation. Video that was reviewed revealed that two individuals had fired weapons.