New York: Two people were shot at a gurdwara in the US state of California after a scuffle broke out between the two men, media reports said. The authorities have said that the incident is not related to a hate crime.
The shooting took place on Sunday around 2:30 p.m. at the Gurdwara Sacramento Sikh Society, according to Sacramento County Sheriff's Office spokesman Amar Gandhi.
The incident occurred during the gurdwara's first Nagar Kirtan, a traditional neighbourhood celebration for Sikhism.
Both victims are said to be in critical condition, said the Sheriff’s office.
Gandhi said a fistfight had broken out between two men on the temple grounds, the Sacramento Bee newspaper reported.
According to Gandhi, one of the men shot a friend of the other person involved in the fistfight. The second man involved in the scuffle then opened fire upon the first man and ran off. That second man remains on the run, Gandhi said.
Sacramento County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Gandhi said the shooting is not related to a hate crime and described the incident as a shootout between two men who knew each other, the Fox40.com portal reported.
Gandhi said the confrontation between the two men started as a hand-to-hand incident and turned into a shootout. "All participants in that altercation seemed to have known each other. This seems to have stemmed from something far before this," he added.
Asked if there was an imminent threat to the area, the Indian-origin police official said the situation “looks very contained.” “It puts a small stain on this peaceful, very joyous day,” he said.
The two people who were wounded were hospitalised at Kaiser Permanente hospital in south Sacramento with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.
There have been increasing episodes of gun violence in the US. President Joe Biden recently signed the executive order that seeks to increase the number of background checks conducted during gun sales, saying this is "common sense".
Last week, at least two people were hospitalised in a shooting at East High School in Denver, the capital of Colorado, informed Denver police.