Sacramento County deputies are probing a shooting that broke out Saturday evening at Howe Park in Sacramento just as officers were dissolving an unlawful assembly of several hundred people.
How It Started
Sacramento County law enforcement first arrived at Howe Park at approximately half past six in the evening after receiving reports of persons possibly in possession of concealed weapons. Following that, a second call came in concerning an alleged brawl happening at Howe Park.
An overhead unit scanned the area from the air but came back with no confirmation of a fight. Despite this, it was Sacramento County Sheriff shooting investigation evident that a crowd of several hundred had gathered without authorization in an unauthorized manner.
When the Shots Rang Out
Responding units set about removing people from the park by setting up around the park's perimeter and announcing over their public address systems telling the hundreds present to vacate the area. About 15 minutes were allotted for attendees to disperse.
As the crowd was being cleared that upwards of 20 gunshots cut through the air. The shots sent hundreds fleeing. Deputies quickly moved to looking for those injured.
The Shooting Victims
When the dust settled, four victims were found to have been shot. The victims — made up of one woman and three men all reportedly in their mid to late twenties — were rushed to hospitals in the Sacramento area. Medical personnel stated 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, no fatalities were reported and all four were stable.
Sacramento Metro Fire also responded and provided medical assistance the injured prior to hospital transport.
What Investigators Found
The center of the incident was believed to have taken place near the Cottage Way corridor next to the local Home Depot at the 2200 block of Howe Ave. CSI personnel identified additional spent rounds on Cottage Way. Round impacts were identified in the iron fence near the Home Depot store. This evidence suggested that a shooter had been discharging rounds toward the south from along Cottage Way in the direction of the Home Depot building and parking lot. The Home Depot was put under lockdown for a period of time. CSI investigators and detectives remained on scene well into the night.
Suspect Information
Reports confirmed over scanner radio traffic indicated that a Kia vehicle was intercepted in Solano County. Four detainees were taken into custody. Sheriff's units were dispatched to Solano County to transport the detainees for processing in Sacramento County. Surveillance footage made clear that there were two gunmen.