AZUSA, Calif. – Two polling places have been impacted and a middle school is on lockdown after a shooting in Azusa, California, left one person dead and three others injured on Tuesday afternoon, officials said.
Police and SWAT vehicles were in residential area of Azusa following a shooting on Nov. 8, 2016. (Credit: KTLA)
The incident occurred around 2 p.m. in the Los Angeles-area residential community, the Azusa Police Department said.
Four people were hit by the gunfire, and one person later died of his or her injuries, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Three patients were transported to area hospitals, including two who were taken by helicopter. Their conditions were not immediately known.
None of the victims have been identified.
The shooter exchanged gunfire with Azusa Police Department officers, but they were not hit or injured, a fire official told KTLA.
Amid the search for the shooter, multiple police and SWAT vehicle could be seen on the streets of the residential area, which appeared to be near a school, aerial video from Sky5 showed.
Two polling places in the area — Memorial Park North Recreation Center and Dalton Elementary School — were also impacted by the shooting, L.A. County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk Dean Logan tweeted. He described the incident as an “active shooter situation.”
“Voters should avoid the area and, if necessary, cast a ballot at an alternate polling location,” Logan wrote in a separate tweet.
As of 4:50 p.m. PST, Dalton Elementary had reopened, but the Memorial Park polling location remained on lockdown, Logan tweeted.
At least one of the victims had been heading to vote, according to the Los Angeles Times.
Multiple emergency vehicles were at the scene near a shooting in Azusa on Nov. 8, 2016. (Credit: KTLA)
Two voters who were inside the Memorial Park North Recreation Center when the shooting occurred spoke to the Cable News Channel on the condition of anonymity.
One male voter says he was inside when he heard a bunch of shots ring out and people from outside starting to run in before officials locked the doors.
He told CNN a “massive shooting is happening and the police have told us to stay indoors. We are currently on locked down.”
A female voter told CNN she heard the shots ring out.
“At first, I thought it was construction but people came running into the room saying they see a guy with a bulletproof vest and a white shirt. As of right now, they just have us in the voting room and are trying to keep us calm.”
The female voter said officials are not allowing anyone to leave the building but people are still allowed to vote while they wait. She said officials are not announcing updates inside in order to not scare the kids.
Pictures sent to CNN from inside the polling station show many people inside, including a group of children who were in the building when the shots rang out.
Three cars were involved in a crash near the scene of a shooting in Azusa on Nov. 8, 2016. It was not immediately clear whether the two incidents were related. (Credit: KTLA)
The female voter said she estimates about 30 people remain inside the locked down polling location. Additionally, about 15-20 children were evacuated from a gym inside the recreation center where the voting station was located.
The shots were not inside the polling station.
Slauson Middle School, which was near the location of the police activity, was also placed on lockdown, the school’s secretary told KTLA.
Several roads in the area were also blocked off by emergency vehicles, according to Sky5 footage.
At least three vehicles were involved in some sort of collision on a residential street that was among the roads blocked off, but it was unclear if the crash was related to the shooting.
Authorities have not said whether they have anyone in custody in connection with the shooting.
Check back for updates on this developing story. CNN and KTLA’s Alexandria Hernandez contributed to this story.
