Nightclub shooting in CA
© Bob Strong / Reuters (file photo)
Seven people were hospitalized after a reported shooting at 'The First Purge' party hosted at a nightclub in Riverside, California, police said.

"People started falling to the ground, and I thought people were fighting or dancing at first," a witness of the shooting told CBS Los Angeles. "I heard automatic gunshots, there was like 10 in a row."

The police received a distress call after midnight on Monday. Arriving at the scene, the officers picked up two people with gunshot wounds who were then hospitalized. Another five people, also shot at the venue, had later checked in at different hospitals seeking medical treatment, Riverside Police Department said in a statement.


Two more people were hurt in a stampede which began as the shots were fired. According to police, none of the injuries were life-threatening.

An investigation has been launched. It is not yet clear what was the motive behind the crime, or who the perpetrator is.