Officials in Sacramento County are looking into a gunfire incident that occurred on April 18 2026 at the Howe Community Park area as Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies were dispersing an unauthorized event of a crowd of several hundred.
Before the Gunfire
Deputies were first called to the Arden-Arcade park at approximately half past six in the evening after receiving reports of individuals who may have had concealed firearms. Shortly after, additional information came in describing a possible physical fight happening here at Howe Park.
Aerial units flew over the park but could not confirm any ongoing fight. Despite this, it became clear that a crowd of several hundred had congregated at Howe Park without any permit or approval.
When the Shots Rang Out
Officers worked to disperse the crowd by surrounding the park and issuing commands over loudspeakers instructing attendees to vacate the area. About 15 minutes were allowed for individuals to vacate.
Just as the crowd began to move that 20 to 25 rounds of ammunition cut through the air. The barrage of gunfire triggered a stampede. Sacramento County Sheriff's deputies quickly moved to identifying shooting victims.
Those Who Were Hit
When the dust settled, four people were found to have been shot. The shooting victims — made up of one woman and three men each reported to be in their early to late twenties — were brought to nearby hospitals. Medical teams reported that two of the four had injuries classified as immediate, one person had injuries of a moderate nature, and one suffered minor injuries. In a positive development, all four were expected to survive.
The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire Department also responded and assisted with medical triage the injured prior to hospital transport.
Evidence at the Scene
The center of the incident was confirmed to have happened near the Cottage Way corridor adjacent to the Home Depot on the 2200 block of Howe Ave. Crime scene investigators identified more spent casings along Cottage Way. Projectile impacts were also found in the metal fencing near the Home Depot store. This evidence indicated that at least one of the shooters had been discharging rounds toward the south from Cottage Way in the direction of the Home Depot building and parking lot. That Home Depot location was placed on lockdown during the incident. CSI investigators and detectives stayed at the location late into the evening.
Arrests Made
Information relayed over police scanner frequencies indicated that a vehicle identified as a Kia had been detained in nearby Solano County. Four detainees were detained. Law enforcement units were heading to pick up the four detainees to transport the detainees for formal questioning. Surveillance footage showed that there were two gunmen.