Suspects sought in California bowling alley triple homicide

AP  |  Torrance (US) 

Police searched for suspects Sunday in a shooting that killed three men and injured four during a brawl at a popular Los Angeles-area and bar.

Cell phone video aired by showed groups of people throwing punches as a crowd gathered late Friday at Gable House Bowl in the coastal city of Gunshots suddenly rang out and onlookers screamed and ran for their lives.

There were no arrests. Police Sgt said Sunday that investigators are trying to determine if there may be more than one suspect.

"We just don't know at this point," he said.

"That's one of the many questions detectives are looking at."

Friends and family members of the victims held a candlelight vigil Saturday night in the parking lot of the in southern County.

A memorial with photos and flowers was also set up at the site.

Officers responding to panicked 911 calls found seven people with gunshot wounds. Three men were pronounced dead at the scene and two were taken to a hospital, Harris said.

Two other men were struck by gunfire but "opted to seek their own medical attention."

Authorities have not identified the victims or suspects or released details about what led to the shooting. Witnesses said it stemmed from a fight between two large groups.

Dwayne Edwards, 60, of Los Angeles, said he received a call from his nephew that his 28-year-old son, Astin Edwards, was one of those killed. His nephew told him his son was attempting to break up a fight when a gunman "just started unloading."

"I'm thinking this is a dream and I'll wake up," Edwards told "He was a good kid. I don't understand it."

A grieving mother told KABC-7 her 28-year-old son, Robert Meekins, died while trying to break up the fight. She said Meekins and were close.

"They were friends, so I know he probably jumped in and helped Astin and whoever he was with... but I don't think my son deserves to die," Anglean Hubbard said.

The third victim was 20-year-old Michael Radford, his sister told the Daily Breeze newspaper.

"He was happy. He was always a protector," Dumas said. "That's how he got into this, he was trying to protect others."

Wes Hamad, a 29-year-old resident, said he was at the with his 13-year-old niece and cousin when he saw a "huge fight" break out.

Hamad said the brawl, which lasted about five minutes, blocked the entrance and spiraled into "complete chaos." "I grabbed my niece and started running toward the far end of the bowling alley," he said. "As we were running, we heard 15 shots.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

First Published: Mon, January 07 2019. 07:20 IST