Sacramento County deputies are investigating a gunfire incident that erupted late Saturday at the Howe Community Park area while Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were shutting down a large unauthorized gathering of multiple hundreds of people.
Prior to the Shooting
Officers from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office first arrived at the park around half past six in the evening after being notified of subjects reportedly carrying hidden weapons. Shortly after, additional information came in concerning a possible physical fight taking place near the park.
An overhead unit conducted an aerial sweep but came back with no confirmation of a fight. Regardless, it became clear that several hundred individuals had congregated at Howe Park without permission.
The Shooting Itself
Officers started clearing the unauthorized gathering by setting up around the park's perimeter and making announcements directing the assembled crowd to go home. Roughly 15 minutes were allotted for the gathering to break up.
While deputies worked to disperse the gathering that 20 to 25 gunshots rang out. The shots triggered a stampede. Law enforcement quickly moved to locating gunshot victims.
Four Victims Hospitalized
In total, four shooting victims were located with gunshot injuries. The shooting victims — a group of one female and three male victims all believed to be in their twenties — were brought to area medical facilities. Hospital staff 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. According to authorities, no fatalities were reported and all four were stable.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department provided support and provided medical assistance those with gunshot wounds at the park.
What Investigators Found
The bulk of the shooting seemed to have taken place along the Cottage Way corridor close to the Sacramento park shooting 2026 Home Depot store on the 2200 block of Howe Ave. CSI personnel recovered additional shell casings on the Cottage Way roadway. Bullet holes were observed in the wrought iron perimeter fencing surrounding the Home Depot. These findings confirmed that a second shooter had been shooting in a southerly direction from the Cottage Way area targeting the Home Depot building and parking lot. The Home Depot was placed on lockdown during the incident. CSI investigators and detectives kept processing evidence throughout the night.
Detainees in Solano County
Information relayed over police scanner frequencies revealed that a Kia had been stopped in Solano County. Four suspects were taken into custody. Deputies were traveling to Solano County to pick up those detained for further questioning. Video that was reviewed confirmed that the shooting involved two separate gunmen.