Woman Killed, Several Wounded In Party Bus Shooting In Downtown Santa Monica

SANTA MONICA (CBSLA) – A woman was killed and three others were wounded when shots were fired from one party bus to another in downtown Santa Monica overnight Friday.

The shooting occurred just before 1 a.m. Saturday in the area of Ocean Avenue and Colorado Boulevard.

According to Santa Monica police, an altercation occurred between two groups on two different party buses. When one of the buses tried to drive away, at least two people aboard the other bus pulled out weapons and opened fire.

Three people aboard the bus and one person standing in the street were struck by the gunfire.Three of them were rushed to nearby hospitals. One of them, a woman in her 30s, later died from her wounds, police said. The other two remain hospitalized in stable condition. The fourth victim sustained minor injuries from shattering glass, but did not require transport.

As the shots were fired, the driver of the targeted bus pulled around the corner to a Santa Monica police station. Meanwhile, officers who happened to be on the nearby Santa Monica Pier heard the gunshots and rushed to the scene.

"We had some officers that were on the pier that may have heard it, so they immediately responded and started broadcasting that they heard some gunshots," Santa Monica police Lt. Saul Rodriguez said. "So we had officers on scene pretty quickly, enough so to try to close off and set up a perimeter as best we could. But again, we couldn't find or locate any possible suspects because there were a lot of people that apparently were trying to disperse and leave the area immediately. So it was hard to tell what was going on at that point. "

Four weapons were recovered: two by the bus and two in a ravine near the Pacific Crest Highway.

Passengers on the bus with the deceased woman were celebrating a birthday.

No arrests have been made.

The suspects were described as two to three black males. Investigators are unsure exactly how many people opened fire or how many rounds were shot. They are hoping more witnesses come forward to help provide more detailed suspect descriptions. Anyone with information should call police at (310) 458-8495.

CBS2's Joy Benedict spoke to stunned neighbors shocked that deadly violence happened in their usually-quiet and safe neighborhood.

Joe Frazier  -- who thought they were shooting a movie -- reminded everyone that this incident provides a valuable lesson.

Live each day like it could be your last one he said, "Because one day you're going to be right."