Sacramento County deputies are working a shooting incident that took place Saturday evening at Howe Community Park just as officers were shutting down a large unsanctioned party of multiple hundreds of people.
What Led to the Shooting
Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies initially responded to Howe Park at about 6:30 in the evening after getting calls of people potentially armed with concealed firearms. Not long after, a second caller reported mentioning an alleged brawl breaking out at the location.
Air support conducted an aerial sweep but was unable to locate the reported altercation. Regardless, it was apparent that a massive group had gathered without authorization without official sanction.
The Dispersal and Shooting
Law enforcement personnel worked to disperse the crowd by encircling the gathering and making announcements telling the hundreds present to disperse at once. Around 15 minutes were allotted for attendees to disperse.
While deputies worked to disperse the gathering that 20 to 25 rounds of ammunition rang out. The rapid succession of shots caused mass panic. Deputies swiftly started identifying shooting victims.
Four Victims Hospitalized
When the dust settled, four individuals were located with gunshot injuries. The four individuals — comprising three men and one woman ranging in age through their in their early to late twenties — were rushed to Sacramento area hospitals. Emergency physicians confirmed that two had critical injury classifications, one had moderate injuries, and one person's injuries were considered minor. In a positive development, all four were expected to survive.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department arrived on scene and helped triage those with gunshot wounds before they were taken to the hospital.
What Investigators Found
The bulk of the shooting seemed to have taken place adjacent to the Cottage Way corridor near the Home Depot situated at the 2200 block of Howe Ave. Investigators found additional shell casings throughout the Cottage Way area. Bullet holes were observed in the iron perimeter fence alongside the nearby Home Depot. These findings pointed to that a shooter had been sending rounds south from along Cottage Way targeting the Home Depot store. The store itself was temporarily locked down while the scene was active. Forensic investigators and law enforcement detectives stayed at the location late into the evening.
Suspect Vehicle Located
Details gathered over scanner radio traffic confirmed that a suspect Kia was contacted by law enforcement in the Solano County area. Four occupants were stopped and detained. Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were dispatched to Solano here County to return them to Sacramento for further questioning. Surveillance footage established that two individuals had fired weapons.