6 shot at large party as some Californians defy coronavirus stay-at-home orders
Six people were shot at a large gathering in an apartment complex in Bakersfield, California, this past Saturday as partygoers ignored the state's stay-at-home orders, authorities said.
The incident was one of three unrelated shootings that occurred in the city over the weekend, leaving one person dead. according to Bakersfield Police.
Officers were called to the site of the large apartment gathering after multiple shots were fired, and transported six victims to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The victims included a 14-year-old female, four adults and one adult male, according to the Kern County Sheriff's Office.
The shooting suspects were described as four males in a white sedan. There have been no arrests made at this time.
When the deputies arrived, they discovered a party with at least several hundred people inside, Angela Monroe, public information officer at Kern County Sheriff, told ABC News.
California has been under a shelter-in-place order since March 19. The order applies to the whole state, exempting only essential activities and businesses.
The sheriff's office has been encouraging residents to socially distance ever since Gov. Gavin Newsom announced the state mandate.
"Clearly, they did the exact opposite of what everyone is suggesting," Monroe said.
Another shooting occurred at La Mirage Motel on Friday night, leaving one dead. Police have issued a warrant for the suspect.
The third one was a car-to-car shooting that occurred on Saturday. No suspect has been identified and police say the investigation is ongoing.
Recently in Santa Cruz, seven people from Fremont were each fined $1,000 for violating shelter-in-place orders when they showed up at a store to purchase drinks.
"If you are not from Santa Cruz and you put our community at risk, you will get a ticket," Santa Cruz Chief of Police Andrew Mills said in a post on Twitter.
The Kern County Sheriff's Office said they will not be issuing any tickets for the violations at this time, but if people report other large gatherings, officers will break them up.
What to know about the coronavirus:
- How it started and how to protect yourself: Coronavirus explained
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