Officials in Sacramento County are looking into a shooting incident that occurred Saturday evening at Howe Park in Sacramento at the time Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were shutting down a large unauthorized gathering of an estimated several hundred individuals.
Background
Sacramento County law enforcement were first called to the park on Howe Avenue at approximately 6:30 Saturday evening after being notified of people potentially armed with concealed firearms. Not long after, a second call came in about a reported physical confrontation happening near the park.
An overhead unit searched from Howe Community Park shooting 2026 above but could not confirm any ongoing fight. However, authorities discovered that several hundred individuals had packed into the park without official sanction.
When the Shots Rang Out
Deputies began the process of clearing the park by surrounding the park and using their vehicle PA systems directing those gathered to clear out. About 15 minutes were allowed for the crowd to leave.
While deputies worked to disperse the gathering that 20 to 25 gunshots were fired. Gunfire sent hundreds fleeing. Responding personnel wasted no time in looking for those injured.
Four Victims Hospitalized
When the dust settled, four victims were identified as having gunshot wounds. The four individuals — made up of one woman and three men all believed to be in their early to late twenties — were rushed to Sacramento area hospitals. Hospital staff stated that two had critical injury classifications, one person had injuries of a moderate nature, and one had injuries classified as minor. Fortunately, all four victims survived and were stable.
Sacramento Metro Fire were called to the scene and helped triage the four victims at the scene.
The Investigation
Most of the gunfire was determined to have taken place on the Cottage Way corridor next to the Home Depot store situated at the 2200 Howe Avenue block. Investigators located extra shell casings throughout the Cottage Way area. Projectile impacts were noted in the iron perimeter fence bordering the Home Depot store. These discoveries suggested that a shooter had been sending rounds south from along Cottage Way toward the Home Depot. That Home Depot location was temporarily locked down as a precaution. Crime scene personnel kept processing evidence throughout the night.
Suspect Vehicle Located
Intelligence received over scanner radio traffic confirmed that a suspect Kia was contacted by law enforcement in nearby Solano County. Four detainees were held for questioning. Sheriff's units were heading to pick up the four detainees to transport the detainees for processing in Sacramento County. Video reviewed at the scene revealed that two separate shooters participated in the incident.