| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
Vista park shooting leaves one dead, four injured
Monday August 18, 2003VISTA, Calif. (AP) An apparent gang battle at a park ended in a shooting that killed a man and wounded four others, including a 3-year-old boy, authorities said.
No arrests were immediately made.
As many as 70 members of two gangs began arguing or scuffling at Brengle Terrace Park at about 5:30 p.m. Sunday, San Diego County sheriff's Lt. Terry Wisniewski said.
Witnesses said two women began fighting and others joined in. An employee of a recreation center broke up the scuffle and the group moved off, but shots were fired a short time later.
Witnesses reported hearing at least a half-dozen gunshots.
About 1,200 people were in the park and many ran or dove for safety when the shooting began. Some hid in a softball field dugout.
``We went down for the ground,'' said Jose Garcia, 38, of Vista. ``We saw all the people running away, everybody, and asking for help.''
A man about 30 years old was pronounced dead at the scene. A woman, her 3-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl were wounded and taken to local hospitals, Wisniewski said. Their conditions were not immediately available Monday.
The identities of the victims were not immediately released but the woman and youngsters were believed to be innocent bystanders, Wisniewski said.
Vista is 26 miles north of San Diego.
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