One person was killed and at least 11 others injured early Sunday when gunfire broke out during a house party in Catawba County, North Carolina, authorities said.
The shooting occurred at around 12:45 a.m. at a residence in Mountain View, about 60 miles northwest of Charlotte, according to a social media statement posted by the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators told ABC Charlotte affiliate station WSOC that the shooting erupted at residence where a party attended by as many as 100 people was in progress. Investigators said they suspect that one or more people discharged firearms.
Catawba County sheriff’s deputies and officers from the nearby Hickory Police Department went to the house after receiving reports of multiple people being shot, according to the sheriff’s office statement.
One of the shooting victims was pronounced dead, authorities said. Of the 11 others wounded, one was in critical condition and several remained hospitalized, officials said.
No arrests have so far been announced. Investigators from the Hickory Police Department and special agents with the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation were at the scene of the shooting Sunday morning attempting to establish a motive for the deadly violence and identify those responsible, according to the statement from the sheriff’s department.
Witnesses told WSOC that many of those attending the party were local high school students.
“As soon as I heard the shots everybody started scattering off, ducking our heads, running off toward our cars toward safety. And I called my friend and he said ‘call 911. I need help,'” one of the teenage partygoers told WSOC.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
