Sacramento authorities are working a shooting that unfolded late Saturday at the Howe Community Park area as Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were shutting down an unlawful assembly of a crowd of several hundred.
How It Started
Law enforcement initially responded to the park around 6:30 in the evening after receiving reports of persons possibly in possession of concealed weapons. Following that, another report was received regarding a potential altercation unfolding within the park grounds.
A law enforcement helicopter scanned the area from the air but came back with no confirmation of a fight. Nevertheless, authorities discovered that a crowd of several hundred had assembled at the park without official sanction.
The Shooting Itself
Law enforcement personnel started clearing the unauthorized gathering by positioning themselves around the crowd and making announcements commanding the assembled crowd to disperse at once. Roughly 15 minutes were allowed for the gathering to break up.
At the height of the dispersal effort that 20 to 25 rounds of ammunition were fired. The sudden gunfire triggered a stampede. Deputies at once began identifying shooting victims.
Those Who Were Hit
Ultimately, four individuals were identified as having gunshot wounds. The victims — comprising three men and one woman all reportedly in their 20s — were taken to local Sacramento hospitals. Medical teams reported that two of the four had injuries classified as immediate, one person had injuries of a moderate nature, and one sustained minor gunshot wounds. In a positive development, each of the four victims was stable.
Metro Fire Sacramento also responded and helped triage those who had been shot before they were taken to the hospital.
Physical Evidence
The bulk of the shooting was determined to have happened on the Cottage Way corridor alongside the local Home Depot on the 2200 block of Howe Ave. Detectives discovered additional shell casings throughout the Cottage Way area. Projectile impacts were discovered in the metal fencing bordering the Home Depot store. The physical evidence suggested that a second shooter had been shooting in a southerly direction from Cottage Way aimed at the Home Depot store. The nearby Home Depot was locked down for a period of time. Crime scene personnel worked tirelessly throughout the night.
Suspect Information
Information relayed through scanner monitoring showed more info that a Kia vehicle was intercepted in an area within Solano County. Four people were taken into custody. Sheriff's units were en route to collect those detained to pick up those detained for questioning. Video that was reviewed established that two individuals had fired weapons.