Elk Grove police say a department drone played a key role in tracking down three people after an evening of target practice sent live rounds into a quiet neighborhood on May 24. Bullets pierced four homes and a vehicle in the Falcon Meadow Drive area, but no one was hurt. Officers say they followed the group as they left and arrested them shortly after, recovering multiple firearms in the process.
Drone Pinpoints Suspects After 911 Calls
Dispatchers received 911 calls about gunfire near Kent Street off Waterman Road on the night of May 24, prompting officers to send a drone into the air to search the area, according to CBS Sacramento. From above, the drone quickly picked out three people allegedly shooting at targets on private property along the railroad tracks. Police later determined that some of the rounds had been fired toward the Falcon Meadow Drive neighborhood, where they struck the homes and car.
How Elk Grove's Drone Program Speeded Response
The department's Drone as a First Responder program, launched in May 2024 and later granted expanded operational waivers, lets pilots rapidly send aircraft into the air and follow suspects from above, per a City of Elk Grove news release. The same department has also embraced other automated tools like license-plate readers, as seen when an ALPR ping leads Elk Grove cops to kidnapping suspect and helps guide officers to suspects more quickly.
Arrests, Weapons and Charges
In this case, officers tracked the suspects as they drove away in two vehicles on Waterman Road and stopped them near Bond Road. All three were arrested, and police say they seized six guns and booked the suspects into the Sacramento County Jail, according to CBS Sacramento. The trio now faces charges that include shooting into an inhabited dwelling and negligent discharge of a firearm.
What Neighbors Should Know
No injuries were reported, but the case is a sharp reminder of the risks of shooting near homes and public lines. Elk Grove officials say the Drone as a First Responder program has flown more than 1,000 missions since May 2024 and is designed to get real-time video to officers faster so they can locate suspects and limit danger, per the city release.
