Sacramento County deputies are looking into a shooting incident that unfolded on the evening of April 18 at Howe Community Park in the Arden-Arcade area at the moment Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were breaking up an unsanctioned gathering of hundreds of attendees.
Before the Gunfire
Sacramento County law enforcement were first called to the Arden-Arcade park at about 6:30 PM on April 18 after learning of people potentially armed with concealed firearms. After that, a follow-up call was made concerning a possible physical fight breaking out at the location.
Air support was sent to survey the area but could not confirm any ongoing fight. Regardless, it was apparent that an enormous crowd had come together at the location without official sanction.
The Shooting Itself
Law enforcement personnel set about removing people from the park by positioning themselves around the crowd and using their vehicle PA systems ordering the hundreds present to go home. Approximately 15 minutes were provided for the crowd to leave.
As the crowd was being cleared that between 20 and 25 rounds cut through the air. The sudden gunfire caused mass panic. Responding personnel wasted no time in locating gunshot victims.
Four Gunshot Victims
When the dust settled, four shooting victims were found to have been shot. Those injured — consisting of one woman and three men ranging in age through their in their 20s at the time of the incident — were taken to hospitals in the Sacramento area. Emergency physicians noted that two of the four had injuries classified as immediate, one victim's injuries were classified as moderate, and one had injuries classified as minor. According to authorities, all four were in stable condition.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department were called to the scene and provided medical assistance shooting victims at the park.
Crime Scene Evidence
The main crime scene was confirmed to have occurred near Cottage Way next to the Home Depot store at the 2200 block of Howe Ave. CSI personnel recovered extra shell casings throughout the Cottage Way area. Round impacts were discovered in the wrought iron fence alongside the Home Depot store. This evidence pointed to that one of the gunmen had been aiming south from the Cottage Way area in the direction of the Home Depot. The nearby Home Depot was temporarily locked down while the scene was active. Crime scene technicians and detectives worked tirelessly late into the evening.
Suspect Vehicle Located
Information relayed through scanner monitoring established that a Kia vehicle was pulled over in the Solano County area. Four detainees were taken into custody. Sacramento law enforcement were dispatched to Solano County to pick up those detained for processing in Sacramento County. Footage analyzed by investigators revealed that two Howe Park Sacramento gunfire separate shooters participated in the incident.