Three killed, 5 injured after mass shooting at restaurant in Arizona

A mass shooting at a restaurant in Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona has left multiple casualties.

Glendale Police Department reported that a shooting on Sunday at around 7:45 p.m. local time at the crowded El Camaron Gigante Mariscos & Steakhouse left 3 people dead and 5 others injured.

“Obviously, there was a lot of people here,” Officer Moroni Mendez told reporters gathered at the shooting scene.

“A lot of people that were attending some sort of event. Anyone who has information, please come forward and provide that to us because as we just recently stated, there are three deceased. So we want to make sure we do a complete and thorough investigation, and do right by the victims.”

Mendez said they believed there was more than one shooter involved in the steakhouse incident, however, adding that there is no present threat to the public.

“There are quite a few people detained, and we’re trying to investigate whether they’re suspects, victims, witnesses, investigative leads,” Mendez pointed out. “There are multiple people that our officers and detectives are speaking to.”

The police did not identify the victims or provide their ages.

The injuries of those wounded were either caused by shrapnel or gunfire, Mendez said, adding that the police investigators are still trying to figure out what led up to the mass shooting.

Meanwhile, witnesses told local news stations that the shooting took place at an annual Cinco de Mayo event.

One witness told 12 News that dozens of people, including families with children, were at the steakhouse celebrating the event that commemorates Mexico’s victory over France in the Battle of Puebla.

The witness said there were several rounds of gunfire, and then a pause before a second set of shots was fired.

Meanwhile, gun violence is said to be common in the United States, with nearly 47,000 gun-related deaths in 2023 alone.

For years, mass shootings in shopping centers, schools, churches and other public places have been a source of fear and trauma for many Americans, particularly women, children and the elderly population.