3 Dead, 12 Others Injured When Gunfire Erupts In West Adams

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Authorities are still searching for two people involved in a shooting in the West Adams District that left three people dead and 12 others injured overnight.

The mass shooting was first reported around 12:30 a.m. Saturday in the 2900 block of S. Rimpau Boulevard.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Police Department says officers have found evidence at the scene, including multiple shell casings and possibly one of the guns used in the shooting.

First responders who arrived on scene say they found three men dead, and 12 others, both men and women, shot. Police released only a vague description of the suspects saying they are looking for a black man and a white woman.

Police say the incident unfolded at a home that had been converted into a restaurant. The location appeared to be busy last night as a celebration was underway at the location.

"I've never seen anything like this," neighbor Freda Smith said. " This is quiet over here."

Detectives say several guns were recovered at the scene.

A witness in this tight-knit Jamaican community says he heard about 30 shots which seemed to be all outside the house.

LAPD says there have been problems at the location in the past.

"I'm actually shocked to hear this, around this area because we don't really have any problems with anybody. Everyone knows everyone and we're all pretty much like family so to hear that, it's pretty much shocking and I can't believe that it literally just happened just a few doors down from my house," said Trason Leslie, a neighbor.

In the wake of the shooting, Mayor Eric Garcetti issued the following statement:

"Today, Los Angeles woke up to a horrifying shooting in West Adams -- the latest example of a senseless gun violence epidemic that causes so much pain and sorrow in our city and across the nation.

"We have every confidence that the LAPD's investigation will answer the many questions about what happened, and why.

"Our thoughts are with the families mourning or praying at bedsides today. We must take action against easy access to firearms and the thoughtless, indiscriminate, murderous use of them. We cannot tolerate these tragedies multiplying in communities across America."

A lengthy investigation was underway.