Gunman Wounds 2 Men at Canoga Park High School

A gunman opened fire on a handball court at Canoga Park High School on Wednesday, wounding two men and scattering a group of girls playing softball on a nearby field.

Five to 10 bullets from a handgun were fired about 6:15 p.m., hitting the two men, one 19 and the other 22, according to Los Angeles City Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey.

About two dozen 9- and 10-year-old girls and their parents ran for cover, the girls screaming, witnesses said.

“Some moms and dads were covering their girls for protection,” said one father, who declined to be identified. “Some other girls ran behind a storage bin for safety. It was a madhouse.”

Sgt. Jay Bender of the Los Angeles Police Department’s West Valley Division said the shooting may have been race-related. The wounded men were Latino and the suspected gunman was African American, Bender said.

Late Wednesday, police detained four men for questioning.

The 22-year-old victim, whose identity was not released, was taken to Northridge Hospital Medical Center in critical condition with a gunshot wound in the back, Humphrey said.

The 19-year-old, who was playing handball on another court, was treated at a hospital for a gunshot wound in the leg.

Authorities said the wounded men were not affiliated with the school but lived in the neighborhood.

The school, in the 21900 block of Hart Street, had been closed for the day but people were using its handball, softball and basketball facilities, authorities said.

Antonio Ramirez, 17, was walking toward the school when he heard shots. Around him people scattered and ran for cover, he said.

“All I heard was a couple of loud popping sounds, and that’s when I ran,” Ramirez said. “I turned around and saw some guys running away.”

LAPD Det. Rick Swanston said the shooting may have been precipitated by a confrontation in a nearby alley about 3:30 p.m. It was uncertain what the argument was about, but Swanston said the participants were overheard saying they would settle their scores later.

Police said the gunman was standing about 100 yards from the handball court when he fired.