Sacramento County deputies are looking into a gun violence incident that unfolded Saturday evening at Howe Park at the moment law enforcement were breaking up an unauthorized event of hundreds of attendees.
How It Started
Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were first dispatched to Howe Park shortly before 6:30 in the evening after learning of individuals who may have had concealed firearms. Following that, a second caller reported regarding a possible physical fight unfolding near the park.
Air support searched from above but was unable to locate the reported altercation. Nevertheless, deputies found that several hundred individuals had gathered without authorization without any permit or approval.
When the Shots Rang Out
Deputies set about removing people from the park by surrounding the park and making announcements instructing the assembled crowd to clear out. Roughly 15 minutes were allotted for attendees to disperse.
At the height of the dispersal effort that 20 to 25 gunshots were fired. The barrage of gunfire sent the crowd running in all directions. Deputies quickly moved to looking for those injured.
Four Victims Hospitalized
In total, four shooting victims were located with gunshot injuries. The four individuals — a group of one female and three male victims all reportedly in their early to late twenties — were brought to local Sacramento hospitals. Emergency physicians stated that two of the four had injuries classified as immediate, one victim's injuries were classified as moderate, and one person's injuries were considered minor. According to authorities, all four were in stable condition.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District arrived on scene and provided medical assistance the unauthorized gathering shooting Sacramento four victims prior to hospital transport.
Physical Evidence
The center of the incident was determined to have taken place along Cottage Way alongside the Home Depot store on the 2200 block of Howe Ave. Detectives located further ballistic evidence in the form of shell casings on the Cottage Way roadway. Bullet damage were discovered in the metal fencing alongside the nearby Home Depot. These findings suggested that a shooter had been aiming south from Cottage Way targeting the Home Depot. The store itself was locked down for a period of time. Crime scene personnel remained on scene through the early morning hours.
Arrests Made
Information relayed through scanner monitoring established that a Kia was pulled over in Solano County. Four people were in the vehicle at the time of the stop. Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were traveling to Solano County to bring the suspects back for processing in Sacramento County. Video evidence showed that the shooting involved two separate gunmen.