Police are searching for the shooter after two people were killed at a private party at Artist Lounge near California State University, Northridge on Friday night. Los Angeles Police Department officers had already told the organizers to shut the party down before shots rang out. The case stayed active because the gunman left the scene, and investigators have not found the person responsible.
Artist Lounge on Friday night
Police said a young man and a woman were shot. Both were between 18 and 25 years old, and LAPD said they were pronounced dead at the scene. Officers received a call about a loud party at Artist Lounge just after 11 p.m., then moved in as dozens of people were packed inside.
Ledger Fuller, who was at the party, described the moment the shooting started. He said, "I heard these pops, and I thought it was like a balloon or something... but then I heard like two more shots, and I was like, 'Oh, my God.' And then people started crowding behind me. And the two girls behind me pulled me down and used me for cover. I saw this girl, like, fall down, and I was like, 'Oh my God, someone just got shot.'" He also said, "What are you doing? Like, what are you doing with your life? You can't take two innocent people's lives like that. It's horrible".
LAPD search in Northridge
AIR7 video showed dozens of young people being briefly detained and searched before they were released. Police said a third victim may have been wounded, but that person has not been located. That leaves investigators without a full casualty count from the scene while they continue to look for the shooter.
Police believe the shooting was an isolated attack, but they have not determined what led up to it. Shia Boverman said, "I feel so grateful just thinking that it could have happened to any one of my friends and it didn’t. It just hurts so much knowing that I saw the girl that was in there too, before it all happened, and she was so sweet".
Artist Lounge prayer vigil
A prayer vigil was scheduled at Artist Lounge at 6 p.m. on Sunday. The woman who runs the venue also set up a GoFundMe to help support the victims' families and help her business recover from financial losses. For anyone connected to the party, the immediate next step is the vigil while police continue looking for the shooter and for the third person they say may have been hurt.
