Law enforcement in Sacramento are probing a gunfire incident that took place on April 18 2026 at Howe Park at the moment authorities were dissolving an unauthorized event of several hundred people.
Background
Officers from the Sacramento County Sheriff's Office were first called to the park around 6:30 Saturday evening after obtaining information of people potentially armed with concealed firearms. Not long after, another report was received mentioning a possible fight unfolding near the park.
An overhead unit was sent to survey the area but found nothing to substantiate the fight report. Nevertheless, it was evident that hundreds of people had come together at the location without any permit or approval.
When the Shots Rang Out
Officers set about removing people from the park by forming a perimeter and announcing over their public address systems ordering those gathered to clear out. 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. Gunfire sent the crowd running in all directions. Deputies immediately began identifying shooting victims.
Four People Shot
In total, four people were confirmed as gunshot victims. The shooting victims — made up of one woman and three men ranging in age through their in their early to late twenties — were taken to Sacramento area hospitals. Medical teams noted that two of the four had injuries classified as immediate, one had moderate injuries, and one suffered minor injuries. Fortunately, no fatalities were reported and all four were stable.
Sacramento Metro Fire were called to the scene and assisted with medical triage the four victims before they were taken to the hospital.
Evidence at the Scene
The center of the get more info incident was determined to have been concentrated on Cottage Way adjacent to the Home Depot situated at the 2200 block of Howe Ave. Investigators identified additional shell casings along Cottage Way. Bullet holes were also found in the metal fencing near the nearby Home Depot. These discoveries indicated that one of the gunmen had been aiming south from the Cottage Way area toward the Home Depot building and parking lot. The nearby Home Depot was temporarily locked down for a period of time. CSI units alongside detectives kept processing evidence throughout the night.
Suspect Vehicle Located
Details gathered through scanner monitoring established that a vehicle identified as a Kia was pulled over in nearby Solano County. Four people were held for questioning. Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were sent to retrieve the detainees to transport the detainees for processing in Sacramento County. Footage analyzed by investigators made clear that two separate shooters participated in the incident.