Sacramento authorities are working a gunfire incident that unfolded on the evening of April 18 at Howe Community Park in the Arden-Arcade area as law enforcement were dispersing a large unauthorized gathering of multiple hundreds of people.
How It Started
Sacramento County law enforcement were first called to the Arden-Arcade park just after half past website six in the evening after getting calls of people potentially armed with concealed firearms. Shortly after, additional information came in mentioning an alleged brawl breaking out within the park grounds.
A law enforcement helicopter scanned the area from the air but was unable to locate the reported altercation. However, authorities discovered that a massive group had come together at the location without any permit or approval.
The Dispersal and Shooting
Responding units set about removing people from the park by setting up around the park's perimeter and announcing over their public address systems ordering the assembled crowd to vacate the area. Nearly 15 minutes were allotted for the crowd to leave.
At the height of the dispersal effort that upwards of 20 gunshots were fired. The shots caused mass panic. Officers swiftly started searching for victims.
Those Who Were Hit
Ultimately, four gunshot victims were identified as having gunshot wounds. The shooting victims — consisting of one woman and three men all reportedly in their 20s at the time of the incident — were rushed to area medical facilities. Hospital staff confirmed that two of the four had injuries classified as immediate, one victim's injuries were classified as moderate, and one victim's wounds were minor. In a positive development, all four were in stable condition.
Sacramento Metro Fire arrived on scene and helped care for the four victims prior to hospital transport.
What Investigators Found
The primary shooting scene was confirmed to have been concentrated along Cottage Way next to the Home Depot at the 2200 block of Howe Avenue. CSI personnel discovered more spent casings along Cottage Way. Round impacts were observed in the wrought iron fence near the nearby Home Depot. These findings indicated that a shooter had been discharging rounds toward the south from the Cottage Way area in the direction of the Home Depot. The nearby Home Depot was locked down during the incident. CSI investigators and detectives continued working for hours.
Suspects Detained
Intelligence received over police scanner frequencies established that a Kia was contacted by law enforcement in Solano County California. Four detainees were stopped and detained. Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were traveling to Solano County to return them to Sacramento for questioning. Video that was reviewed revealed that two separate shooters participated in the incident.