Chaos at Howe Community Park Leaves 4 People Shot in Sacramento's Arden-Arcade
Sacramento County deputies are probing a violent incident that erupted late Saturday at Howe Park in Sacramento at the moment officers were clearing an unauthorized event of a crowd of several hundred.
What Led to the Shooting
Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies initially responded to the Arden-Arcade park at about half past six in the evening after getting calls of people potentially armed with concealed firearms. Soon after, another report was received regarding a reported physical confrontation happening at the location.
A law enforcement helicopter scanned the area from the air but reported no active disturbance. Even so, authorities discovered that hundreds of people had congregated at Howe Park without permission.
When the Shots Rang Out
Responding units began the process of clearing the park by positioning themselves around the crowd and using their vehicle PA systems commanding the assembled crowd to leave immediately. Roughly 15 minutes were allotted for individuals to vacate.
At the height of the dispersal effort that 20 to 25 rounds of ammunition cut through the air. The shots triggered a stampede. Responding personnel wasted no time in looking for those injured.
Four Gunshot Victims
By the time the scene was secured, four shooting victims were identified as having gunshot wounds. The four individuals — made up of one woman and three men ranging here in age through their in their 20s at the time of the incident — were brought to Sacramento area hospitals. Doctors and nurses stated that two of the four had injuries classified as immediate, one person had injuries of a moderate nature, and one person's injuries were considered minor. As of last report, all four were in stable condition.
Metro Fire Sacramento were called to the scene and assisted with medical triage the injured before they were taken to the hospital.
What Investigators Found
The center of the incident was determined to have taken place along the Cottage Way side of the park next to the Home Depot store on the 2200 block of Howe Avenue. Crime scene investigators discovered more spent casings on the Cottage Way roadway. Bullet holes were also found in the iron fence bordering the Home Depot. These findings confirmed that at least one shooter had been sending rounds south from along Cottage Way aimed at the Home Depot store. The store itself was locked down for a period of time. CSI investigators and detectives kept processing evidence well into the night.
Suspect Vehicle Located
Reports confirmed through law enforcement radio communications confirmed that a Kia vehicle was intercepted in the Solano County area. Four individuals were detained. Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were heading to pick up the four detainees to bring the suspects back for questioning. Video that was reviewed established that two individuals had fired weapons.