Four dead in ‘ambush’ shooting at LA house party

Multiple weapons such as assault rifles and handguns were used in the shooting

Police investigators leave a crime scene at a home in Inglewood, Calif., on Sunday (AP)

At least four people were shot dead and one was severely injured near Los Angeles after multiple shooters opened fire at a house party early Sunday, officials said.

Mayor James Butt said the reports of shots being fired inside at home on Park Avenue in the Inglewood neighbourhood emerged around 1.30am after which police reached the spot.

The “ambush” shooting took place at the house where multiple weapons like assault rifle and handgun were used, Mr Butt said, calling it the worst single shooting crime in Inglewood city since the 1990s.

The victims — two women and two men — appear to be targeted, he said.

“This is the largest number of shooting victims that have been injured in this city since the 1990s,” the mayor said.

He added that the attack “was not random, and it was related to the people who were expected to be at the party,” reported the Los Angeles Times.

Calling it a tragic loss for the families of the victims, the mayor said the error and time of when the shooting occurred does not matter. It matters that justice is served, he told the reporters.

“When I think about this and hear [about] a crime like this anywhere in New York, in Los Angeles, in Santa Monica, in Culver City, these are sociopathic killers that have to be sequestered from society,” Mr Butt said.

The fifth person injured in the incident has been hospitalised in a serious condition and is expected to recover. He has admitted to being a member of a street gang in another city.

Urging the suspects to turn themselves in, the mayor said, “We will find you and prosecute you”.

A search for multiple suspects has been launched, Mr Butt said. Witnesses of the “ambush” shooting are being interviewed and officials are canvassing the neighbourhood looking for possible security camera footage.

Investigators are also trying to find if the shooting had any connection with gangs.

The city where the shooting occurred is home to SoFi stadium where the Super Bowl will be hosted next month.

The shooting comes at a time homicides are at a two-year rise in Los Angeles county, alarming the authorities.

Nearly 400 killings were recorded in 2021, with the highest number of homicides in a year since 2007. The deaths include young Latino and Black men in overrepresentation, according to theLA Times.