3 dead, 4 injured in bowling alley shooting near Los Angeles – police

5 Jan, 2019 09:24 / Updated 5 years ago

A shooting at a bowling alley in Torrance, California has killed three people and left four others wounded, local police have said, adding that locals should stay away from the area as an investigation is still underway.

The Torrance Police Department confirmed in an initial tweet that there were “reports of shots fired with multiple victims down” at Gable House Bowl. The tweet made no mention of whether any suspects had been apprehended, but said that an investigation is underway and urged people to “stay away from the area.”

Law enforcement later said that three men died at the scene, while four male victims were injured.

Torrance is a located about 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Los Angeles.

A local reporter who arrived at the scene said that a fight at the bowling alley escalated into a shooting. A video taken in the parking lot of the bowling alley shows people screaming and crying.

A witness interviewed by the Los Angeles Times said he hid for 15 minutes behind a bar after hearing gunfire.

"We heard there was a big fight before that. We just ran into the bar and we just took cover because after the fight we heard pop pop," Jesus Perez told the paper. He said he heard around four gunshots.