SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Police were hunting for a gunman who opened fire Thursday at a Sacramento college parking lot. One male student was killed and two others were wounded, authorities said.
One victim was declared dead at the scene, another was taken to a hospital with injuries, and the third was grazed by a bullet and was being questioned by investigators, said Dustin Poore of Los Rios Police, who patrol Sacramento City College.
The shooting near a baseball field at the edge of campus began as a verbal dispute between the group of men, one of whom pulled out a gun and fired, Poore said.
The suspect, wearing a white T-shirt and cargo shorts, fled on foot.
After the shooting about 4 p.m., the campus was locked down for about two hours before police officers had cleared all the buildings and allowed students and staff to leave.
They had not found the suspect, and they thought he had left the campus, though investigators were still combing the area, said Sgt. Doug Morse of the Sacramento Police Department, which was taking over the homicide investigation.
Evening classes were canceled.
Police descended from all directions on campus shortly before 4 p.m. after the gunfire broke out, and students told to stay in their classrooms and lock the door were filled with fear.
“My stomach dropped,” student Lars Beesom told KCRA-TV. “It was definitely really, really scary, but we all stayed calm.
Beesom added, “It’s school. It’s supposed to be a good environment, and you don’t want to be scared here.”
Jackie Flores, 50, who lives across the street from the parking lot, said she heard four or five shots. “It all happened so fast,” she told the Sacramento Bee.
Classes were in session at the two-year college in central Sacramento with a student body of about 25,000. The fall semester began Aug. 22.
The corner of campus where the shooting occurred is surrounded by strip malls with chain restaurants on one side and a golf course on the other.
