Two shot outside Los Angeles nightclub

Saturday, July 23, 2011

A gunman shot and injured two men early this morning outside the Vault XXI nightclub in the Little Tokyo district in Los Angeles, California.

Lieutenant Paul Vernon of the Los Angeles Police Department says the two men are in critical condition.

Witnesses say the two men, both Asian and in their 20s, were smoking outside the club when a man wearing a ski mask approached and shot the two around 1:30 a.m. local time (9:30 UTC). The men suffered multiple wounds and crawled into the club.

Police believe the shooter was possibly Asian and was about five feet seven inches tall. Investigators say there were ten bullet casings at the scene from a semiautomatic firearm.

Lt. Vernon said, “We’re lucky more people were not injured in this attack. It appears the victims were targeted by the suspect as they stood at the entrance to the nightclub.”