4 shot near Howe Park in Arden Arcade; deputies searching for suspect

At least four people were wounded in a shooting as a large gathering was broken up Saturday evening near Howe Park in the Arden Arcade neighborhood of Sacramento County.

The shooting was reported around 6:50 p.m. in the parking lot of the Home Depot on the 2200 block of Howe Avenue, across from the park bounded by Howe Avenue, Cottage Way and Bell Street.

Four victims, a woman and three men all in their 20s, were taken to hospitals. Their wounds were not considered life-threatening, authorities said, and they were deemed to be in “stable” condition.

“The incident occurred as law enforcement personnel were in the process of dispersing individuals from a nearby park when an assault took place,” a spokesperson from the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said.

A fifth victim was not transported, firefighters said, and it was “unknown if they were involved.”

According to Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Sgt. Ed Igoe, deputies were first called to Howe Park around 6:30 p.m. after reports that people in the area might be carrying concealed weapons. A second caller reported a possible fight.

“Air support checked the park and was unable to locate any fights or people running away,” Igoe said.

Several hundred people had gathered in the park for what authorities described as an unauthorized event. Deputies surrounded the area with emergency lights activated and used public address announcements for about 15 minutes to order people to leave, Igoe said.

As deputies worked to clear the park, they “heard 20 to 25 gunshots” nearby as a crowd gathered at a parking lot for the Home Depot across the street. “People in the park fled the area,” Igoe said.

As more law enforcement — including officers from Sacramento, Elk Grove and Citrus Heights — responded, the Home Depot was briefly placed on lockdown, according to an employee who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Metro Fire said ambulance crews treated four patients at the scene and transported them to hospitals. Two victims were classified as having “immediate” injuries, one had moderate injuries and one had minor injuries.

Authorities had not released suspect information as of Saturday night, though several vehicles that had sped away from the area were later stopped as far away as Solano County.

“This is an active and ongoing investigation,” Igoe said as Sheriff’s Office detectives and crime scene investigators continued their work.

This story was originally published April 18, 2026 at 8:59 PM.