A shooting at a lakeside park in Oklahoma over the weekend left close to two dozen people injured. According to witnesses, everything started with an argument at a crowded party.
The incident happened Sunday night near Arcadia Lake, a popular spot for swimming and boating just outside Oklahoma City.
Police said the gathering wasn’t officially approved, though it attracted a large group of people.
Authorities are still trying to track down the person who was responsible for the incident.
So far, no arrests have been made. At least three of the injured individuals are in critical condition, however, it has not been confirmed exactly how many people were shot.
One person who was at the park said around 250 people showed up. He said things started to fall apart after a group of girls got into an argument over relationships, which quickly escalated.
Eventually, tensions grew and panic spread through the crowd; people were running in different directions as shots were fired for several minutes.
The witness said he ran toward the lake to get away and later realized two of his friends had been shot.
In total, at least 18 people were sent to hospitals around the area. Patients ranged from teenagers to adults in their late 20s, and several were brought in in serious or critical condition.
Police believe the party had been promoted on social media, which explains why so many people showed up to the event. According to a flyer that was promoted online, the party was called Sunday Funday and involved food and music.
The mayor later said you’re supposed to reserve the park for big gatherings, but in this case, no one actually did.
Local officials say they’re now looking into ways to tighten rules around park use and improve safety measures moving forward.
Emergency crews took some victims to the hospital, while others got there on their own.
One hospital in the area said it treated more than a dozen people, with several still hospitalized,
including some who remained in critical condition.
Another hospital also received a handful of patients.
Arcadia Lake is usually known for outdoor activities like camping, and fishing; it also plays a role in supplying water to the nearby city of Edmond.
It’s not the first time something tragic has happened at the lake either. Back in 1986, several people lost their lives in a major workplace shooting.
Over the same weekend, there was also another separate shooting in Amarillo, where two teens were killed and several others injured after gunfire broke out at an apartment complex early Saturday.
