Police Searching for Suspect After 10 People Shot, 4 Killed at Football Watch Party in California

Dave Quinn

UPDATE:

The Fresno Chief of Police stated on Monday that Sunday night’s shooting at a backyard Fresno party was a “targeted act of violence against this residence.” The chief also said the crime may have resulted from an earlier dispute.

He also announced the creation of an Asian Gang Task Force as a result of this shooting.

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A gunman opened fire at a backyard party in Fresno, California, on Sunday night, shooting 10 men and killing four of them, police confirmed to PEOPLE.

Between 35 and 40 family, friends, and children were at the event at the time, all of them gathered together to watch a football game.

The suspect — who police are still searching for — walked up to the event on foot and began shooting in the backyard, where the majority of the crowd was gathered.

“Luckily, most of the women and children were inside,” Fresno Police Deputy Chief Michael Reid said in a press conference overnight, NBC News reported.

Emergency responders arrived on the scene around 8 p.m. local time. Three of the victims were pronounced dead on the scene, while another died later at the hospital, Fresno Police Department confirmed to PEOPLE.

Names of the deceased have not yet been released, but all four were Asian men between the ages of 25 and 30 according to authorities.

The other six shot were taken to a local hospital and treated for non-life-threatening wounds.

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Police are still searching for information and evidence to help them find the shooter and learn the suspect’s motives.

“It’s very likely that it was targeted — we just don’t know why,” Reid said, NBC News reported — adding that there was no indiction the shooting was gang-related but that they were looking into that. “Somebody picked that house and came up and shot several times on the backside of it. It looks like there was a target.”

“My heart goes out to the families that are victims of this senseless violence,” Reid added. “We are going to do everything we can to find out who the perpetrators are and bring them to justice.”