Shooting at USC Halloween party leaves four people wounded and two others behind bars

A Halloween party on the University of Southe Califoia campus ended with four people getting shot and two others arrested Wednesday night.

Gunfire broke out at around 11.45pm outside the Ronald Tutor Campus Center, where about 100 people had gathered for a dance hosted by a student organization.

USC Department of Public Safety Capt David Carlisle said an argument between two men not related to the school led to one of them pulling out a gun and shooting another person.

The university's Department of Public Safety officers secure the crime scene. One victim was struck in the torso three or four times and was rushed to a hospital in critical condition

Shooting: Officers question two suspects after four people were shot with one left in critical condition during a Halloween party at the Tutor Campus Center in Los Angeles, Califoia

That victim was struck in the torso three or four times and was rushed to a hospital in critical condition. Three bystanders were taken to the hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The Los Angeles Times reports USC sent a text alert telling students to stay inside. Hours later, another text said the threat was over and classes would go on as scheduled.

Two men were arrested by USC security officers who followed them as they fled toward a parking garage. A gun was also recovered on the scene. 

Only one of the suspects was believed to be the gunman. Police were looking into whether the second person detained was an accomplice.

Panic: A witness described a chaotic scene with people screaming and running for their lives

A witness who attended the ill-fated gathering described a chaotic scene with people screaming and running for their lives. He told the Times that he saw one person limping after getting shot in the leg and asking his friends to help him. 

Michael L. Jackson, USC's vice president for student affairs, issued a statement on the university's website saying that campus security was monitoring the party, witnessed the shooting and was able to quickly apprehend the suspects.

He added that campus policy requires that student parties be open only to guests with student IDs from USC or another university.

LAPD officers and members of the university's Department of Public Safety gather at the command post following the shooting

Released: An officer removes the handcuffs from a suspect who had been detained following the shooting

‘This incident reminds us that we must look out for ourselves and be particularly vigilant about the personal safety of friends and guests at our social events,’ Jackson’s statement read.

Following the shooting, the campus went on lockdown for a short time and students and faculty were sent a Trojan Alert asking them to ‘seek shelter in place and avoid opening doors for unknown persons,’ according to the campus newspaper the Daily Trojan.

USC security later sent out a second alert that read, ‘The scene is secure at the Tutor Campus Center on The University Park campus. There is an ongoing police investigation in progress.’

Some witnesses speculated that the incident was in retaliation for a gang-related shooting that happened earlier in the day, KTLA reported.

Back in April, two USC graduate students were fatally shot in what authorities say was a robbery gone awry a few miles away from the campus. Two suspects were later arrested and charged with those slayings.

In 2008, USC sprinter and recent Olympic medalist Bryshon Nellum was shot in the leg three times at an off-campus Halloween party.