The Torrance Police Department responded just before midnight to reports of shots fired at Gable House Bowl in Torrance, which is about 20 miles from downtown Los Angeles.
Three men were pronounced dead at the scene, police said, and four more were injured. Two were taken to the hospital, and the others sought medical attention on their own.
A police spokesman said information about a suspect or motive was unavailable.
The Los Angeles Times reported that a fight had broken out at the bowling alley. Jesus Perez, who was at the bowling alley, told The Times he ran for cover after hearing gunshots.
“We heard there was a big fight before that,” he said. “We just ran into the bar and we just took cover because after the fight we heard pop-pop.”
Gable House Bowl did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The bowling alley offers glow bowling, laser tag and an arcade, according to its website. Police said no bowling alley employees were injured.
The shooting set off renewed discussion about gun violence.
Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., said in a tweet that she was heartbroken for the victims of the shooting and their loved ones.
“We must do more to address gun violence,” she said. “Americans should be able to go to a bowling alley and be safe.”
Damone Thomas said in a Facebook video that he witnessed the aftermath of the shooting. He said he was enjoying karaoke when he said people rushed into his area and shouted “gunshot, gunshot, gunshot, gunshot.”
“To realize that the space was invaded, just by one simple thing: a gun,” he said. “How do we get over this? Where can we go? We see it happening in the church, we see it happening in the schools, now it’s happening in the karaoke. It’s happening everywhere, so what can we do? Where can we go?”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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