One killed in shooting at site of California World Cup fan zone


SAN JOSE, California, ⁠June 28 (Reuters) - One person was killed and another seriously injured on ⁠Sunday in a shooting at a popular entertainment spot in San ‌Jose, California, that has been hosting a World Cup "fan zone" screening matches, police said.

There were no World Cup games being screened at the time of the shooting, with the only match ​of the day in the tournament finishing around 2 ⁠p.m. local time (2100 GMT).

"One victim ⁠was pronounced deceased on scene. The second victim was transported to a local ⁠hospital ‌with life-threateninginjuries," San Jose police said in a post on social media platform X.

"This incident is being investigated as a homicide. Several surrounding ⁠streets are closed in the area."

The incident occurred at ​San Pedro Square, ‌one of several places in the San Francisco Bay Area where huge ⁠crowds have gathered ​for lively "watch parties" showing World Cup matches on big screens.

The Bay Area has hosted five World Cup matches so far, with the last game a knockout match on ⁠Wednesday between Bosnia and co-hosts the United States.

A ​Reuters journalist at the scene saw a heavy police presence, multiple police vehicles and a person on a stretcher partially covered by a white sheet being rushed ⁠away from the area by people in uniforms.

The scene was cordoned off and most bars in the area were closed after the incident.

A security guard, who declined to be named because she was not authorised to speak to ​media, said she saw the injured person in distress.

"The ⁠person was still moaning and groaning. There was blood around his neck and upper ​back," she said. "Police were talking to security ‌and a couple of witnesses."

There are several ​dozen fan zones across the Bay Area.

(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Additional reporting by Elizabeth Mendez; Writing by Martin Petty; Editing by Jamie Freed)

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