Two people were killed when gunfire broke out during a private party at a club near the California State University-Northridge (CSUN) campus just after 11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2, 2026, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) said.
The first reports of shots came from the 18400 block of Nordhoff Street in Northridge, a neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley, authorities confirmed. The venue was later identified as Artist Lounge, near the CSUN campus.
Two Victims Found at the Scene
Two victims were found at the club and died from their injuries. LAPD Lt. Guy Golan told KTLA that they were a man and a woman between the ages of 18 and 25.
The killings land in a year marked by other shootings at parties and gatherings across the country. Gun violence remains one of the most pressing security and social problems in the U.S., which sees high rates of violent gun crime and frequent mass shootings.
A Mass Shooting in Trenton
In Trenton, N.J., two people were killed and eight others wounded early Sunday, Aug. 30, when gunfire tore through the 100 block of Locust Street in the Wilbur section of East Trenton at about 12:25 a.m. The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office identified the dead as Tyasiah West, 33, and Anthony Howlett, 42, both of Trenton. The eight wounded — two women and six men ranging in age from 23 to 43 — were struck in what investigators believe was an attack by multiple people who walked up to a block party and fired into a crowd of roughly 100. More than 50 spent shell casings littered the scene, and several vehicles were hit.
As of Aug. 31, four of the injured had been treated and released, three men ages 23, 29 and 32 remained hospitalized in critical condition, and a 42-year-old woman was in stable condition. In a statement, Trenton Mayor Reed Gusciora described the event as a “large, unauthorized adult gathering involving hundreds of people on a residential street.” Trenton Police Director Steve Wilson said officers were already there because of reports of a large crowd, and that when police are significantly outnumbered they must wait for backup. New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said she was thinking of the families who lost loved ones, those who were injured and the city. The Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Task Force is investigating; no motive has been determined, and what led to the gunfire remains unclear.
Deputies Killed in Missouri Shootout
The violence has also reached law enforcement. Two Christian County, Mo., deputies were killed Monday, Feb. 23 — one during a traffic stop, the other hours later in a shootout. Christian County Sheriff Brad Cole said Deputy Gabriel Ramirez, 30, was shot and killed about 4 p.m. during a stop on State Highway 160 south of Highlandville.
The suspected gunman, Richard Bird, fled, setting off an hourslong manhunt that drew more than 100 officers, deputies and state troopers, among them U.S. Marshals and FBI agents. Officers found Bird’s abandoned vehicle along the highway and combed nearby woods. A Highway Patrol helicopter picked up a moving heat signature, and as deputies moved in, Bird opened fire, killing Deputy Michael Hislope, 40, who had been with the Christian County Sheriff’s Office since October 2019. Officers returned fire and killed Bird. Two other deputies, one from Christian County and one from Webster County, were wounded; their injuries were not believed to be life-threatening. “Deputy Ramirez was always kind to everybody,” Cole said.
Earlier in the year, U.S. police announced Thursday, Jan. 8, that two people had been killed and others injured in a shooting in Salt Lake City. An initial report indicated the gunfire erupted in a parking lot. At least two of the eight victims died, three survivors were in critical condition and the conditions of the others were not known. Police spokesman Glen Mills said some sort of altercation preceded the shots, and authorities launched a large-scale search for the suspects.
In Northridge, the investigation continues. Golan said there was another possible victim from the shooting at Artist Lounge, and that investigators were searching for that person.