At least 23 people were injured after gunfire erupted at an Oklahoma lake party – the latest in a trio of shootings involving teens or young adults over the weekend across the US.
The chaos unfolded around 9 p.m. Sunday at a campground near Arcadia Lake, about 13 miles north of Oklahoma City, Edmond police spokesperson Emily Ward said.
The victims suffered injuries “ranging in severity, including gunshot wounds,” Edmond police said in an update Monday. A local health system said 13 people were hospitalized Sunday.
No suspects are in custody, but police believe there is no ongoing threat to the public, Ward told CNN.
“This is obviously a very terrifying situation,” she told reporters at the scene. “We are working extremely hard to find these suspects and help these victims.”
The attack is among more than 130 US mass shootings with four or more victims this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. Gunfire has killed at least 278 youths ages 12 to 17 so far this year, with another 796 injured, according to GVA.
The pandemonium in Oklahoma happened hours after a shooting at a post-prom party in Indianapolis left one woman dead and at least two others wounded, CNN affiliate WTHR reported.
Just a day earlier, two teens – ages 16 and 17 – were killed and at least 10 others were injured at a Texas party involving “juveniles and young adults,” the Amarillo Police Department said.
Authorities are looking for two suspects in connection with the shooting, and the incident appears to have been a targeted attack, police said in an update Monday.
As temperatures rise, so does the likelihood of violence, studies suggest.
The Oklahoma mass shooting happened during an unsanctioned party that was “promoted across multiple social media platforms, drawing a large crowd of young adults from across the metro area,” Edmond police said in the statement Monday.
Exactly what led to the gunfire remains unclear. “We’re kind of all over the metro speaking with victims and witnesses,” Ward said at a late-night news conference.
Authorities believe the attackers were two men wearing ski masks when they opened fire, CNN affiliate KOKH reported. Edmond police declined to provide more details Monday, saying investigators “are actively working the case and are not releasing suspect information at this time.”
Jeremiah Braxton, 18, told The Associated Press about 250 people were at the party and the trouble began when a group of girls started arguing over boyfriends.
“It just started a whole bunch of chaos,” Braxton told the AP.
People were scared and began to panic when they saw their friends fight, he added.
Braxton told the AP he heard shots come from different directions for several minutes as he ran away. Two of his friends were struck by gunfire, he told the AP.
By Monday afternoon, six of the 13 shooting victims who were hospitalized have been released, Integris Health told CNN.
The seven victims still hospitalized range from 16 to 30 years old, spokesperson Brooke Cayot said. Three were in critical condition Monday, and four were in serious condition.
They were among a slew of young revelers at the party, which began after dark and “was not a permitted or reserved gathering,” Edmond police said.
Arcadia Lake is a popular destination for picnicking, camping, fishing and water sports. Edmond has about 100,000 residents.
A flyer seen on social media suggested an event called Sunday Funday had been scheduled near the lake Sunday evening.
“Please send prayers our way and we do apologize to everyone,” the organizers said in a separate post.
This story has been updated with additional information.
Correction:
An earlier version of this story gave the wrong name for a witness to the shooting in Oklahoma. He is Jeremiah Braxton.
