DAVIS, Calif. — Three people were injured Saturday afternoon after a shooting broke out at a popular festival in Davis and reported a rushed shooting erupted, police said.
Hundreds of people fled enjoying a traditional spring gathering after reported filming near Community Park, a vast recreational area north of Davis Campus, California.
A neighbor who lives near the park said he heard a series of loud noises, whether it was a firecracker or a gunman. Immediately after 2:40pm, we saw about 500-600 people flow out of the park.
On police and firefighters radio, incident responders described the event as a “stampede.”
The park’s crowds were spillovers from the annual Picnic Day event hosted by UC Davis. The campus tradition revolves around open houses for prospective students and their parents.
City police called the event a “reported shooting,” but no additional details were provided. Emergency responders radioed that they were treating three patients at a Community Little League baseball field, according to scanner traffic on Broadcastify.com. Radio traffic said some of the injured were 15-year-old with leg injuries.
This year’s Picnic Day, free celebrations featured parades, band battles, fashion shows and other picturesque perfect days with mild temperatures and deep blue skies.
According to its website, the city had set up a “safety improvement zone” in the area, as it had been in since 2011. The threat of increased fines helped reduce “unwanted behaviour” during the picnic day.
Participants explained that the aftermath was confusing. Police helicopters were surrounded and speakers issued orders to people in the area.
One 17-year-old said his friend was among the injured. The woman who gave only the Nana in her name said that her friend was grazing by a bullet and remained in the ambulance.
A young man who didn’t want to name him said he was taken into custody for about 30 minutes as police said it was consistent with the gunman’s description.
After 30 minutes he said, they apologised and released him.
Police sent a phone warning urging the public to avoid the community when officers investigated. No further information was available immediately.
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