“What I was seeing is people running after they hear small gunshots. At first, I thought it was just fireworks, and then I started hearing bigger gunshots.”
ARDEN-ARCADE, Calif. — A shooting at Howe Community Park left four people hurt Saturday night, and Sacramento County sheriff’s deputies are still searching for suspects and what led up to the violence.
No arrests have been made, authorities said. Deputies detained a man and two women, collected statements and later released them.
The chaos was captured on video by Ahmed Mohammed Ali, who said he initially didn’t realize the danger.
“The people there were running multiple times. And I was, and I was thinking, oh, this is probably a joke or a trend that they’re doing. But then, as I started hearing the cops and the gunshots, I was like this is serious,” Ali said.
Ali said he had been at the park selling animal balloons when the situation escalated.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office said hundreds of people had gathered for what deputies described as an unauthorized event. Park officials requested that the park be cleared around 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
By shortly after 8 p.m., Ali said the atmosphere had changed.
“What I was seeing is people running after they hear small gunshots. At first, I thought it was just fireworks, and then I started hearing bigger gunshots. And it started going back and forth. Almost sounding like either a rifle or something more,” he said.
Investigators later identified a vehicle of interest connected to the shooting and stopped it the following day in Fairfield.
“Our detectives responded out there to get identification of these people as well as a statement from each one of them, a search was conducted of their vehicle, which did reveal a firearm, but their level of involvement in the actual shooting is still unknown at this time,” said Sgt. Edward Igoe.
The sheriff’s office said the gathering may have been connected to other events associated with UC Davis Picnic Day and spread through social media, making it difficult to track.
“I’d really like to urge caution on people even attending any type of these events. You get there, you get a large gathering of unknown people. In this instance, several hundred people. This is a very likely outcome that it’s gonna end violently,” Igoe said.
Ali said the experience underscores the need for awareness in unpredictable situations.
“My advice to people is always you’ve got to be ready and cautious of situations like that. Because sometimes it could be a joke, sometimes it could be deadly serious,” he said.
The sheriff’s office is asking anyone with video of the incident to share it with investigators.
WATCH MORE ON ABC10 | Four confirmed with gunshot wounds after Howe Park shooting after event dispersesFour confirmed with gunshot wounds after Howe Park shooting after event disperses
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