The gunfire began just before midnight inside THA Blue Flame, a hookah bar near the intersection of Palm and Highland avenues, during a party, according to investigators.
The shooting then continued across the street, a witness told ABC7. The witness, who asked not to be identified by name, said she was at a nearby gas station when she saw teenagers who appeared to be gathered for a graduation party. She said at one point a car pulled into the gas station and a person opened fire from inside the vehicle, shooting two girls.
“When everything happened, we just hear gunshots and a lot of kids run,” the witness said. “There was a lot of kids running, you know, calling their moms, and I was just like standing there, like, what can I do?”
One person was pronounced dead at the scene. Family members later said their 20-year-old grandson, later identified by police as Allen Gresham Jr., was killed.
The grandmother says her grandson had attended the party after receiving a flyer.
Several of the wounded transported themselves to hospitals, where they were treated for injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening, authorities said.
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The incident prompted a massive response from the San Bernardino Police Department, whose investigators remained at the scene Saturday morning.
“Upon arrival, officers encountered a large crowd and learned that they were in the area attending a party,” police said in a statement. The number of wounded victims was initially given as nine before it was revised down.
Police say not all the victims were intentionally targeted by the gunman.
A description of the suspect or suspects was not available. No arrests were announced.
The motive for the shooting remained under investigation, authorities said.
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