A girl’s 18th birthday party turned into a crime scene Saturday night in Houston when celebratory fire killed two people and injured nearly two dozen others.
The party drew a large crowd after it was heavily promoted on several different social media sites on Saturday, according to the Washington Post. More than 100 people attended the party, with most of the attendees ages 17 to 19.
Although the girl’s mother was home during the party, the event later became what authorities are calling a “birthday party gone wild.”
"Out of no apparent provocation, someone discharged a firearm in apparent celebration of the music," Sheriff Adrian Garcia said in a statement on Sunday, reports Reuters.
After the initial shot, a second partygoer who was standing nearby then responded by opening fire into the crowd of people.
One of the party’s frightened attendees said that the event “was not rowdy at all,” reports TIME. She added that she first heard the gunfire coming from inside the house before it moved outside, forcing partygoers to run and seek cover.
Both of the people killed at the party were teenage students at Cypress Springs High School, reports the Houston Chronicle. The first victim, 18-year-old Queric Richardson, was killed at the scene, and the second victim, a 16-year-old girl, died later at Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center Hospital.
About 20 people were injured during the shooting. Out of those 20, 16 of them suffered gunshot wounds while the four others suffered wounds from running from the scene, such as sprained ankles and broken arms.
One of the victims is reported to be in critical condition.
Authorities are currently searching for the two gunmen, who are ages 17 and 22.