One person killed and one injured in shooting at California World Cup ‘fan zone’

One person was killed and another seriously injured on Sunday night ⁠in a shooting at a popular entertainment spot in San Jose, California, that has been hosting a World ⁠Cup “fan zone” as well as 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 at about 2pm local time.

“One victim was pronounced deceased on scene,” San Jose ​police said in a post ‌on ‌X after the shooting, which was reported at about 9.10pm local time. “The ⁠second victim was transported to a local hospital with life-threatening injuries.

“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 set to be a knockout match on Wednesday between Bosnia and the US as a co-host.

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 authorized to speak to ​media, said she saw the injured person in distress.

“The person ​was still moaning ‌and groaning,” she said. “​There was blood ​around his neck and upper back.

“Police were talking to security and a couple of witnesses.“

There are several dozen fan zones across the Bay Area.