Sacramento County Sheriff's Office investigators are investigating a gun violence incident that erupted on the evening of April 18 at the Howe Community Park area while authorities were clearing an unauthorized event of a crowd of several hundred.
What Led to the Shooting
Law enforcement initially got calls about Howe Community Park at about 6:30 PM on April 18 after receiving reports of people potentially armed with concealed firearms. After that, another report was received mentioning Home Depot Sacramento shooting an alleged brawl occurring within the park grounds.
An overhead unit flew over the park but came back with no confirmation of a fight. Nevertheless, deputies found that a massive group had come together at the location without permission.
The Shooting Itself
Law enforcement personnel moved to clear the area by setting up around the park's perimeter and announcing over their public address systems commanding the crowd to disperse at once. Nearly 15 minutes were allowed for the crowd to leave.
It was during this dispersal that an estimated 20 to 25 shots rang out. The sudden gunfire sent the crowd running in all directions. Responding personnel quickly moved to finding those who had been shot.
Four People Shot
Altogether, four people were confirmed as gunshot victims. The four individuals — made up of one woman and three men each reported to be in their mid to late twenties — were brought to nearby hospitals. Medical teams confirmed that two of the four had injuries classified as immediate, one sustained moderate wounds, and one sustained minor gunshot wounds. According to authorities, all four were expected to survive.
Metro Fire Sacramento were called to the scene and helped triage those who had been shot on location.
Physical Evidence
Most of the gunfire was determined to have happened on the Cottage Way corridor adjacent to the Home Depot at the 2200 block of Howe Ave. Investigators discovered more spent casings on the Cottage Way roadway. Ballistic damage were also found in the iron perimeter fence bordering the Home Depot store. These discoveries suggested that at least one of the shooters had been firing southward from the Cottage Way area targeting the Home Depot. The store itself was placed on lockdown while law enforcement worked the area. CSI investigators and detectives continued working for hours.
Suspect Information
Details gathered over scanner radio traffic indicated that a suspect Kia had been detained in Solano County. Four detainees were held for questioning. Sheriff's units were heading to pick up the four detainees to bring the suspects back for processing in Sacramento County. Video evidence showed that two individuals had fired weapons.