California woman, 18, killed and six others wounded in mass shooting at 19th birthday party

Victims fled in panic after gunfire erupted at birthday party in Antioch early on Sunday morning

Police in the California city of Antioch are investigating a mass shooting at a birthday party that left an 18-year-old woman dead and six wounded.

The shooting occurred just before 1am on Sunday after uninvited guests showed up to the birthday of a 19-year-old male on the 3300 block of Sunset Lane, the Antioch Police Department said in a statement.

The gunfire sparked panic among partygoers who fled in multiple directions, with many victims driving themselves to the hospital, police said.

The suspects made off in a vehicle before police arrived.

An 18-year-old woman, who has not been identified, was taken to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead, police said.

The party host told NBC Bay Area that they had attempted life saving measures on the victim while on the phone to 911. He claimed that the ambulance took too long to arrive.

The other victims ranging in age from 18 to 20 were treated for non-life threatening gunshot wounds.

Police did not release any information about what led to the shooting, or a possible motive.

Police in Antioch, California, are searching for suspects in a mass shooting at a 19th birthday party early on Sunday morning (NBC Bay Area)

There have been 290 mass shootings resulting in four or more people being shot already in the United States in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

In April, four teenagers died and 32 were wounded when gunfire erupted at a 16th birthday party in Alabama.

Several young children were also among the victims in a mass shooting that claimed eight lives at a Texas outlet mall in May.

Detectives with the Antioch Police Department’s Investigations Bureau are interviewing numerous witnesses and residents in the area and are working to identify suspects or persons-of-interest.

Antioch Mayor Lamar Thorpe told NBC Bay Area that his heart went out to the victims.

Antioch is a city of about 115,000 residents located 45 miles northeast of San Francisco.