Sacramento County Sheriff's Office investigators are probing a gun violence incident that broke out Saturday night April 18 at Howe Community Park just as Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were breaking up an unauthorized event of multiple hundreds of people.
How It Started
Sacramento County law enforcement initially got calls about the park shortly before 6:30 PM on April 18 after Sacramento park shooting 2026 being notified of individuals who may have had concealed firearms. Shortly after, a second call came in regarding a potential altercation taking place at Howe Park.
A law enforcement helicopter flew over the park but found nothing to substantiate the fight report. Even so, it was evident that a massive group had gathered without authorization without any permit or approval.
The Shooting Itself
Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies set about removing people from the park by setting up around the park's perimeter and making announcements telling attendees to go home. Nearly 15 minutes were provided for attendees to disperse.
Just as the crowd began to move that upwards of 20 gunshots cut through the air. The shots triggered a stampede. Officers swiftly started identifying shooting victims.
Four Victims Hospitalized
Ultimately, four shooting victims were identified as having gunshot wounds. The four individuals — consisting of one woman and three men each apparently in their 20s — were airlifted or driven to local Sacramento hospitals. Hospital staff stated that two of the four had injuries classified as immediate, one person had injuries of a moderate nature, and one victim's wounds were minor. As of last report, all four victims survived and were stable.
Sacramento Metro Fire assisted at the location and assisted with medical triage shooting victims prior to hospital transport.
Crime Scene Evidence
The primary shooting scene was determined to have been concentrated along the Cottage Way corridor close to the Home Depot store located at the 2200 block of Howe Ave. CSI personnel recovered additional shell casings throughout the Cottage Way area. Ballistic damage were noted in the wrought iron perimeter fencing bordering the Home Depot store. These discoveries indicated that at least one shooter had been aiming south from the Cottage Way area toward the Home Depot building and parking lot. That Home Depot location was locked down while the scene was active. CSI investigators and detectives worked tirelessly late into the evening.
Suspect Vehicle Located
Reports confirmed through scanner monitoring indicated that a suspect Kia had been detained in an area within Solano County. Four individuals were in the vehicle at the time of the stop. Law enforcement units were en route to collect those detained to collect the individuals for processing in Sacramento County. Surveillance footage showed that the shooting involved two separate gunmen.