Shooting at lake near Oklahoma City leaves at least 18 injured, police and hospital officials say
Edmund, Oklahoma — A shooting Sunday night at a party at a lake near Oklahoma City sent at least 18 people to hospitals, according to police and hospital officials.
Authorities received reports of shots being fired at about 9 p.m. at a gathering of young people near Arcadia Lake, said Edmond police spokesperson Emily Ward. Authorities were continuing to search for suspects Monday in the shooting that critically injured at least three of those hurt. No arrests have been made.
It wasn't clear how many of the injured had been shot, police said Monday in a statement, providing few answers about what had happened.
"This is obviously a very terrifying situation and we understand the concern from the public and those involved and we are working extremely hard to find the suspects," Ward said. "We're kind of all over the metro speaking with victims and witnesses."
Ten people were at Integris Health Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City and three were at Integris Health Edmond Hospital, a hospital system spokesperson told CBS News Monday morning.
One health care system told The Associated Press the victims it treated ranged in age from 16 to 30. It said three people were in critical condition and four were listed as serious.
Jeremiah Smith, a witness, estimated 250 people showed up at the party. He told The Associated Press the trouble began when a group of girls started arguing over boyfriends. "It just started a whole bunch of chaos," he said.
"Everybody got scared, dudes was panicking, women was panicking, people seeing their friends fight," Smith said.
Police in Edmond said Monday that the party had been promoted across social media, drawing a large crowd of mostly young adults from across the Oklahoma City area. A flyer circulated on social media after the shooting suggested that an event called Sunday Funday was scheduled at a pavilion near the lake until midnight.
Officials said the shooting happened in a heavily wooded area, making the investigation more difficult overnight, CBS Oklahoma City affiliate KWTV reported.
Arcadia Lake, about 13 miles north of Oklahoma City, is an artificial reservoir used for flood control that is also a popular recreational spot that offers fishing, boating, picnicking and camping. It's located in Edmond, an Oklahoma City suburb with about 100,000 residents.
Forty years ago, Edmond was the site of one of the deadliest workplace shootings in U.S. history. On Aug. 20, 1986, postal worker Patrick Sherrill shot 20 co-workers, killing 14 of them. He then killed himself.