2 Fatally Shot At East County House Party

HARBISON CANYON, CA — A predawn shooting during a crowded house party in a rural neighborhood east of El Cajon left two people dead Thursday.

Deputies responding to a report of eight to 10 gunshots and loud shouting north of Sycuan Casino in the Harbison Canyon community shortly before 2 a.m. arrived to find numerous people hurrying out of the area on foot and in vehicles, according to the San Diego County Sheriff's Department.

Shortly after the initial radio call, a second 911 caller reported that someone had been shot in the 800 block of Renfro Way, near Silverbrook Drive, Lt. Joseph Jarjura said.

As the patrol personnel approached the home that the crowd was fleeing, a person flagged them down and told them someone was injured inside.

Entering the residence, the deputies found a 20-year-old man suffering from gunshot wounds.

They rendered first-aid prior to the arrival of paramedics, who airlifted the victim to Sharp Memorial Hospital in San Diego, where he was pronounced dead. His name was withheld pending family notification.

While searching the home for other victims or suspects, deputies found another person suffering from gunshot trauma. The unidentified victim, described only as male, died at the scene.

The shooter or shooters remained unidentified and at large as of early afternoon, and what prompted the homicides was unknown.

"At this stage of the investigation, the nature of the relationship between the victims and any potential (suspects) is unclear," Jarjura said. "The motivation and circumstances of the shooting are still under investigation."

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--City News Service, Inc.