Sacramento County deputies are working a shooting that broke out on April 18 2026 at Howe Community Park as authorities were clearing an unsanctioned gathering of a crowd of several hundred.
Before the Gunfire
Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies initially responded to the park around 6:30 in the evening after obtaining information of persons possibly in possession of concealed weapons. Soon after, another report was received regarding a reported physical confrontation taking place within the park grounds.
An overhead unit searched from above but could not confirm any ongoing fight. Regardless, authorities discovered that a massive group had assembled at the park without permission.
The Shooting Itself
Law enforcement personnel worked to disperse the crowd by positioning themselves around the crowd and issuing commands over loudspeakers telling the hundreds present to disperse at once. Approximately 15 minutes were allowed for attendees to disperse.
Just as the crowd began to move that 20 to 25 gunshots echoed through the night. Gunfire triggered a stampede. Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies at once began finding those who had been shot.
The Shooting Victims
In total, four shooting victims were confirmed as gunshot victims. All four — comprising three men and one woman all reportedly in their 20s at the time of the incident — were brought to area medical facilities. Emergency physicians noted that two were treated for serious injuries, one of the four had moderate gunshot wounds, and one person's injuries were considered minor. In a positive development, all four victims survived and were stable.
Sacramento Metro Fire provided support and helped triage those with gunshot wounds before they were taken to the hospital.
The Investigation
The bulk of the shooting seemed to have unfolded along Cottage Way adjacent to the Home Depot at the 2200 block of Howe Ave. Detectives found more spent casings on the Cottage Way roadway. Bullet damage were noted in the wrought iron perimeter fencing near the Home Depot store. These discoveries indicated that one of the gunmen had been firing southward from Cottage Way targeting the Home Depot building and parking get more info lot. That Home Depot location was temporarily locked down during the incident. Forensic investigators and law enforcement detectives continued working throughout the night.
Suspects Detained
Reports confirmed through law enforcement radio communications established that a suspect Kia was pulled over in an area within Solano County. Four people were stopped and detained. Sacramento law enforcement were en route to collect those detained to collect the individuals for formal questioning. Surveillance footage confirmed that two individuals had fired weapons.