Sacramento County deputies are looking into a gunfire incident that unfolded late Saturday at Howe Community Park while authorities were shutting down a large unauthorized gathering of an estimated several hundred individuals.
Background
Officers from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office initially got calls about the park around 6:30 PM after learning of individuals possibly carrying concealed weapons. Not long after, a second call came in regarding a reported physical confrontation occurring within the park grounds.
Aerial units was sent to survey the area but found nothing to substantiate the fight report. Even so, it became clear that an enormous crowd had gathered without authorization in an unauthorized manner.
The Dispersal and Shooting
Officers began the process of clearing the park by positioning themselves around the crowd and issuing commands over loudspeakers instructing the crowd to disperse at once. Roughly 15 minutes were given for the gathering to break up.
Just as the crowd began to move that 20 to 25 gunshots rang out. The shots sparked chaos as hundreds ran. Officers quickly moved to looking for those injured.
Four Gunshot Victims
Altogether, four shooting victims were found to have been shot. The victims — a group of one female and three male victims each apparently in their twenties — were taken to local Sacramento hospitals. Medical personnel confirmed that two had critical injury classifications, one of the four had moderate gunshot wounds, and one suffered minor injuries. Fortunately, all four were in stable condition.
Sacramento fire crews assisted at the location and provided medical assistance those with gunshot wounds at the scene.
Crime Scene Evidence
The bulk of the shooting seemed to have been concentrated along Cottage Way near the local Home Depot situated at the 2200 block of Howe Ave. CSI personnel discovered extra shell casings more info along Cottage Way. Ballistic damage were noted in the wrought iron perimeter fencing adjacent to the Home Depot. The physical evidence showed that at least one of the shooters had been firing southward from the Cottage Way area toward the Home Depot. That Home Depot location was temporarily locked down during the incident. Crime scene technicians and detectives continued working well into the night.
Arrests Made
Information relayed through scanner monitoring revealed that a Kia vehicle had been stopped in nearby Solano County. Four suspects were detained. Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were traveling to Solano County to return them to Sacramento for formal questioning. Video that was reviewed showed that two individuals had fired weapons.