ORINDA, Calif. _ Four people were killed during a shooting on Halloween night at an Orinda Halloween party, according to a Contra Costa sheriff's spokesman.
"Orinda Police Department and Contra Costa County Office of the Sheriff are working a multiple shooting in Orinda," the initial tweet read. "Investigation is active. Details coming later."
Orinda police chief David Cook said officers responded to a call around 10:45 p.m. for shots fired at a short-term rental on Lucille Way.
When officers arrived, they found a party with more than 100 people in attendance, as well as four people who were pronounced dead at the scene and four others who suffered injuries, Cook said. No information was immediately available on victims' gender or ages.
The home where the party took place is located via narrow, winding streets, lined with million-dollar homes, on a hill on the west side of downtown Orinda.
The streets were in darkness as a group of cars wound their way up and parked on a street as close as possible to the crime scene. People in the cars got out and huddled together, with some crying. They appeared to have been at the party or to know some of the victims. A woman in the group told a reporter they did not want to talk.
According to social-media posts, an "AirBNB mansion party" had been advertised for Thursday night. The flier was adorned with crime-scene tape and told attendees to "DM for location," "BYOB" and "BYOW." One post sharing the flier appeared to have a location of "Orinda, California" and said doors would open at 10 p.m.
Halloween parties, often festive affairs, have seen striking upticks of fatal violence last year and this year. In Long Beach this week, three men died and nine others were injured late Wednesday during a joint birthday party and Halloween party. In an off-campus college party last Sunday in Greenville, Texas, two people were fatally shot and 12 others injured. Last year, a private Halloween party in East Palo Alto left two men dead and two others critically injured.
