EL PASO, Texas — Five teenagers were wounded -- two critically -- after gunfire erupted at an overnight high school graduation party in West Texas, authorities said Saturday.
The teens were wounded at about 1 a.m. MDT in Socorro, a town on the Mexican border southeast of El Paso, KTSM-TV reported. According to Socorro police Chief David Burton, as many as 100 people attended the party at a home, the television station reported. The police chief said the shooting was a targeted attack.
The victims ranged in age from 16 to 18 years old, Burton said. The chief said that some of the victims received multiple gunshot wounds, KVIA-TV reported.
Socorro police Lt. Eddie Smith told KVIA that when officers arrived, about 50 people were still inside the home. Smith said a preliminary investigation indicated two groups began fighting, then the shooting started.
During a news conference on Saturday, Burton said the investigation was ongoing but he was confident that a suspect would be identified and arrested, KVIA reported.