Police in Fresno, California say that an 18-year-old was fatally shot outside of a bowling alley on Friday evening after a “physical altercation” took place inside of the business.
The Fresno Police Department said that officers responded to a Bowlero bowling alley, “regarding an armed disturbance inside the location” at around 10:30 p.m. Police found an 18-year-old man outside with multiple gunshot wounds who was transported to a local hospital and was pronounced dead soon after.
Police say that “a physical altercation began between two groups of patrons inside the Bowlero.”
“The conflict continued outside of the establishment, where the shooting took place,” the department wrote on Facebook. The department also said that the shooting was an “isolated incident” and is “gang related.”
“We want to assure our community that [this] was an isolated incident and we are doing everything we can to not only investigate the crime, but to deter any retaliation. Your Police Department is increasing our patrol presence throughout the weekend at locations where our community gathers,” Fresno Police Chief Paco Balderrama said in a statement posted on Facebook.
Chris Delmas
“Although the frequency of violent crime has been dramatically reduced during the past two months, we continue to make public safety our number one priority. We will not stand for this type of violence in our community,” the chief added.
Police are asking those with information about the shooting to contact the department. They did not disclose the name of the victim, or say whether there are any known suspects in the case.
Newsweek reached out to the Fresno Police Department for updates regarding the investigation, but did not receive a response before publication on Saturday afternoon.
In a separate incident in California in 2019, three men were killed and at least four others were injured in another bowling alley shooting.
The Torrance Police Department said the shooting took place at the Gable House Bowl. A witness told the Associated Press at the time that they saw a “huge fight” break out before the shooting.
“I grabbed my niece and started running towards the far end of the bowling alley,” the witness, Wes Hamad, said. “As we were running, we heard 15 shots.”