Sacramento County Sheriff's Office investigators are looking into a shooting incident that unfolded on April 18 2026 at Howe Community Park just as deputies were clearing an unlawful assembly of multiple hundreds of people.
Background
Deputies were first dispatched to the park on Howe Avenue shortly before half past six in the evening after learning of people potentially armed with concealed firearms. Soon after, another report click here was received mentioning a potential altercation occurring at the location.
A sheriff's airship conducted an aerial sweep but reported no active disturbance. Regardless, deputies found that hundreds of people had gathered without authorization in an unauthorized manner.
The Moment Gunfire Erupted
Officers set about removing people from the park by forming a perimeter and broadcasting over loudspeakers telling attendees to clear out. About 15 minutes were given for the crowd to leave.
Just as the crowd began to move that between 20 and 25 rounds were discharged. Gunfire sent hundreds fleeing. Deputies swiftly started identifying shooting victims.
The Shooting Victims
Ultimately, four individuals were located with gunshot injuries. Those injured — including a female and three males all reportedly in their 20s at the time of the incident — were taken to Sacramento area hospitals. Emergency physicians indicated that two victims sustained immediate injuries, one victim's injuries were classified as moderate, and one person's injuries were considered minor. Thankfully, all four were expected to survive.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department were called to the scene and helped triage shooting victims prior to hospital transport.
Crime Scene Evidence
The bulk of the shooting appears to have occurred adjacent to the Cottage Way side of the park next to the Home Depot store at the 2200 block of Howe Avenue. Detectives identified more spent casings along Cottage Way. Bullet holes were identified in the wrought iron perimeter fencing near the Home Depot. This ballistic evidence pointed to that one of the gunmen had been firing southward from Cottage Way toward the Home Depot. The store itself was temporarily locked down as a precaution. CSI investigators and detectives stayed at the location well into the night.
Detainees in Solano County
Details gathered through scanner monitoring showed that a Kia connected to the shooting was contacted by law enforcement in nearby Solano County. Four individuals were held for questioning. Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were traveling to Solano County to bring the suspects back for investigation. Surveillance footage showed that two shooters had been involved.