Chaos at Howe Community Park Injures Four People Injured in Sacramento County's Arden-Arcade Neighborhood

Sacramento authorities are examining a gunfire incident that erupted Howe Park shooting Sacramento Saturday night April 18 at Howe Park in Sacramento while Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were clearing an unauthorized event of a crowd of several hundred.

What Led to the Shooting

Law enforcement first arrived at Howe Community Park at about 6:30 PM on April 18 after obtaining information of persons possibly in possession of concealed weapons. Not long after, a second call came in concerning an alleged brawl occurring inside the park.

An overhead unit conducted an aerial sweep but reported no active disturbance. Despite this, it was apparent that a crowd of several hundred had packed into the park in an unauthorized manner.

The Dispersal and Shooting

Law enforcement personnel set about removing people from the park by forming a perimeter and making announcements directing the crowd to vacate the area. Roughly 15 minutes were allotted for the crowd to leave.

It was during this dispersal that an estimated 20 to 25 shots were fired. The sudden gunfire triggered a stampede. Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies quickly moved to identifying shooting victims.

Four People Shot

When the dust settled, four gunshot victims were found to have been shot. The shooting victims — including a female and three males each apparently in their early to late twenties — were taken to Sacramento area hospitals. Hospital staff indicated that two had critical injury classifications, one had moderate injuries, and one suffered minor injuries. Fortunately, no fatalities were reported and all four were stable.

The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department provided support and assisted with medical triage shooting victims at the park.

The Investigation

The bulk of the shooting was believed to have been concentrated adjacent to the Cottage Way corridor adjacent to the Home Depot on the 2200 block of Howe Ave. Investigators identified further ballistic evidence in the form of shell casings scattered along Cottage Way. Projectile impacts were discovered in the iron fence surrounding the Home Depot. This evidence confirmed that a second shooter had been sending rounds south from the Cottage Way area aimed at the Home Depot. The store itself was temporarily locked down during the incident. Crime scene technicians and detectives stayed at the location late into the evening.

Arrests Made

Information obtained over police scanner frequencies showed that a Kia was contacted by law enforcement in Solano County California. Four suspects were detained. Deputies were en route to collect those detained to transport the detainees for questioning. Video that was reviewed made clear that there were two gunmen.