Sacramento County Sheriff's Office investigators are probing a gun violence incident that erupted late Saturday at Howe Community Park in the Arden-Arcade area while deputies were dissolving a large unsanctioned party of a crowd of several hundred.
Before the Gunfire
Law enforcement first arrived at the Arden-Arcade park shortly before 6:30 PM after obtaining information of individuals who may have had concealed firearms. Shortly after, a follow-up call was made describing a possible physical fight occurring within the park grounds.
Aerial units scanned the area from the air but was unable to locate the reported altercation. Despite this, authorities discovered that several hundred individuals had congregated at Howe Park without authorization.
The Shooting Itself
Responding units began check here the process of clearing the park by forming a perimeter and making announcements telling the assembled crowd to go home. Roughly 15 minutes were given for the crowd to leave.
At the height of the dispersal effort that 20 to 25 gunshots were discharged. The sudden gunfire sent the crowd running in all directions. Officers quickly moved to identifying shooting victims.
Four People Shot
Ultimately, four victims were found to have been shot. The four individuals — consisting of one woman and three men ranging in age through their in their mid to late twenties — were taken to Sacramento area hospitals. Emergency physicians stated that two of the four had injuries classified as immediate, one sustained moderate wounds, and one person's injuries were considered minor. As of last report, no fatalities were reported and all four were stable.
Metro Fire Sacramento also responded and provided medical assistance the injured at the scene.
Physical Evidence
The center of the incident was determined to have occurred near the Cottage Way side of the park near the local Home Depot on the 2200 block of Howe Avenue. Law enforcement investigators located extra shell casings throughout the Cottage Way area. Round impacts were observed in the iron fence adjacent to the Home Depot. These discoveries confirmed that one of the gunmen had been sending rounds south from the Cottage Way area targeting the Home Depot store. The store itself was locked down for a period of time. Crime scene personnel continued working late into the evening.
Suspect Information
Details gathered through law enforcement radio communications showed that a Kia had been detained in the Solano County area. Four detainees were held for questioning. Sheriff's units were traveling to Solano County to transport the detainees for formal questioning. Footage analyzed by investigators established that two individuals had fired weapons.