Sacramento authorities are probing a gun violence incident that took place late Saturday at Howe Community Park at the time deputies were shutting down an unsanctioned gathering of unauthorized gathering shooting Sacramento multiple hundreds of people.
Background
Deputies initially responded to the park just after 6:30 Saturday evening after learning of subjects reportedly carrying hidden weapons. After that, a follow-up call was made about an alleged brawl occurring at Howe Park.
An overhead unit flew over the park but came back with no confirmation of a fight. Regardless, it was apparent that hundreds of people had packed into the park in an unauthorized manner.
The Shooting Itself
Officers started clearing the unauthorized gathering by setting up around the park's perimeter and using their vehicle PA systems directing the crowd to disperse at once. Roughly 15 minutes were provided for attendees to disperse.
While deputies worked to disperse the gathering that 20 to 25 gunshots were discharged. The shots sent the crowd running in all directions. Officers immediately began identifying shooting victims.
Four Gunshot Victims
Altogether, four gunshot victims were located with gunshot injuries. Those injured — made up of one woman and three men ranging in age through their in their 20s at the time of the incident — were taken to area medical facilities. Emergency physicians reported 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. As of last report, no fatalities were reported and all four were stable.
Metro Fire Sacramento assisted at the location and assisted with medical triage the four victims prior to hospital transport.
Evidence at the Scene
The center of the incident appears to have occurred adjacent to the Cottage Way corridor adjacent to the Home Depot located at the 2200 block of Howe Ave. Crime scene investigators located further ballistic evidence in the form of shell casings on the Cottage Way roadway. Ballistic damage were discovered in the wrought iron fence adjacent to the Home Depot. These discoveries showed that one of the gunmen had been discharging rounds toward the south from Cottage Way in the direction of the Home Depot store. That Home Depot location was temporarily locked down for a period of time. CSI units alongside detectives kept processing evidence for hours.
Suspects Detained
Intelligence received over scanner radio traffic confirmed that a Kia had been stopped in Solano County. Four individuals were stopped and detained. Sacramento law enforcement were dispatched to Solano County to transport the detainees for formal questioning. Footage analyzed by investigators established that two individuals had fired weapons.