Sacramento authorities are investigating a shooting that erupted late Saturday at Howe Park in Sacramento at the time law enforcement were breaking up an unlawful assembly of an estimated several hundred individuals.
Before the Gunfire
Officers from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office initially got calls about get more info Howe Community Park at about 6:30 Saturday evening after being notified of individuals who may have had concealed firearms. Not long after, a second call came in mentioning a possible fight breaking out inside the park.
A sheriff's airship flew over the park but was unable to locate the reported altercation. However, it became clear that hundreds of people had assembled at the park without any permit or approval.
How the Shooting Unfolded
Responding units worked to disperse the crowd by forming a perimeter and making announcements directing the assembled crowd to disperse at once. Nearly 15 minutes were allotted for the gathering to break up.
Just as the crowd began to move that upwards of 20 gunshots cut through the air. The rapid succession of shots sparked chaos as hundreds ran. Responding personnel at once began looking for those injured.
Four Victims Hospitalized
Ultimately, four victims were identified as having gunshot wounds. All four — a group of one female and three male victims ranging in age through their in their early to late twenties — were airlifted or driven to local Sacramento hospitals. Emergency physicians stated that two had critical injury classifications, one of the four had moderate gunshot wounds, and one had injuries classified as minor. According to authorities, each of the four victims was stable.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District arrived on scene and aided in treating the four victims on location.
Crime Scene Evidence
The bulk of the shooting appears to have been concentrated adjacent to the Cottage Way side of the park near the Home Depot store at the 2200 block of Howe Avenue. Crime scene investigators found extra shell casings on Cottage Way. Bullet damage were discovered in the wrought iron fence surrounding the Home Depot. These discoveries confirmed that a shooter had been firing southward from along Cottage Way toward the Home Depot building and parking lot. The nearby Home Depot was temporarily locked down while law enforcement worked the area. Crime scene personnel continued working late into the evening.
Detainees in Solano County
Intelligence received over scanner radio traffic confirmed that a suspect Kia was pulled over in Solano County. Four people were held for questioning. Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were traveling to Solano County to return them to Sacramento for questioning. Surveillance footage revealed that two individuals had fired weapons.