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. Gresham Jr. was a San Bernardino resident.
The grandmother says her grandson had attended the party after receiving a flyer.
Police are calling that party an “unpermitted special event,” and say some type of argument occurred between at least two individuals inside the event, and “multiple gunshots were exchanged.”
“The San Bernardino Police Department will be working to not only identify and arrest the suspects, but to shut down the business whose illegal activities led to the shooting,” said San Bernardino Police Chief David Green in a statement.
Several of the wounded transported themselves to hospitals, where they were treated for injuries that did not appear to be life-threatening, authorities said.
The incident prompted a massive response from the San Bernardino Police Department, whose investigators remained at the scene Saturday morning. At one point, the agency requested help from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department after officials say responding officers were “confronted by a large hostile crowd.”
“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.
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Police detained two individuals while attempting to secure the scene initially, one of which was arrested for being in possession of a loaded stolen firearm, and the other for outstanding warrants, the San Bernardino Police Department said. It was not immediately cleared if those detained were suspects in the shooting.
A description of the suspect or suspects was not available.
The motive for the shooting remained under investigation, authorities said.
Anyone with information regarding this case is urged to call Detective B. Keith at (909)384-5638, or email [email protected]. Tipsters can also contact homicide Sgt. J. Plummer at (909) 384-5613, or email [email protected].
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