Shooting at USC Halloween party leaves several wounded

The USC campus was on lockdown early Thursday after a gunman opened fire at a USC Halloween party, injuring several people.

The victims were rushed to local hospitals, but their conditions were not immediately known. Two people were detained by police for questioning but it's unclear if they are suspects, according to law enforcement sources.

Witnesses said the shooting occurred during an overcrowded party at the center of the campus.

PHOTOS: Shooting at USC Halloween party

A USC student, who asked not to be named, said a student group was hosting the party and that it was at maximum capacity. The witness said there were about 100 people outside -- as well as some campus police -- when at least four shots rang out.

"Everyone started running. I saw a guy who was shot in the leg. He was limping and screaming for his friends to help him. 'I got shot. can someone give me a ride?' His friends were helping him walk," the witness said. "People were screaming and running away."

USC student Ashley Riegle, 27, said the gunfire seemed to occur "out of nowhere."

"Everyone ran. Everyone ran like hell," she said. "We just ducked down."

Student Astrid Solorzano, 23, said she saw one of the victims lying on the ground after the shooting. She said he was alive but having trouble breathing.

USC issued an alert to students and staff that read: "Police-related incident in progress at Tutor Campus Center on USC Campus. The scene is secure and there is an ongoing investigation. Campus shut down, stay away from area at this time."

In April, two graduate students were fatally shot in what authorities said was a botched robbery a few miles from the campus.

The deaths stunned the university, which announced a string of new security measures.

Two men were arrested in May and charged with those killings.

In 2008, University of Southern California sprinter and now Olympic medalist Bryshon Nellum was shot in the leg three times at a Halloween party. Nellums, then a sophomore at USC, accompanied a track recruit to the party, which was just off campus.

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--Andrew Blankstein, Jack Leonard and Kate Mather

Photo: USC's Department of Public Safety officers secure the crime scene after four people were shot dduring a Halloween party at the Tutor Campus Center. Credit: Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images