Gunman kills 3, injures 4 outside California taco shop

[News_Editor]

SALINAS, CALIFORNIA (BNO NEWS) -- Three people were killed Monday and four others were injured when a gunman opened fire outside a taco shop on the central coast of California, police said, describing it as a gang-related mass shooting that began as a fight inside the restaurant.

The shooting occurred at around 1:35 a.m. local time on Monday when a fight broke out at Taco's Choice in Salinas, a city in Monterey County, about 87 miles (140 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco. The fight then spilled out into the restaurant's parking lot, where a man pulled out a handgun and opened fire at the crowd.

Salinas Police Department Commander Dave Shaw said officers discovered seven shooting victims when they arrived at the scene, including a 22-year-old male who was suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead at the scene. A 28-year-old male died soon later at a local hospital, while a 25-year-old male died later on Monday afternoon.

Four other gunshot victims were also rushed to area hospitals, either by ambulance or private vehicle, but their injuries were not considered to be life threatening. Shaw identified the four injured victims as a 53-year-old woman who suffered multiple gunshot wounds and two 25-year-old men and a 24-year-old man who each suffered a single gunshot wound.

Investigators soon identified 21-year-old Giovanni Pacheco as the suspect in the shootings, and he was taken into custody several hours later when officers observed a vehicle leaving his residence. "The vehicle was stopped on Del Monte Avenue and Pacheco was taken into custody without incident," Shaw said.

Pacheco was initially charged with two counts of murder and five counts of attempted murder, but a third murder count is expected to be added. "This crime is being investigated as gang motivated," Shaw said, giving no other details about the incident or what led to the fight that set off the shooting.

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