By Joe Kottke and Leila Sackur - NBC News
At least nine people were wounded by gunfire in a "selective and isolated" shooting Friday night in the city of San Francisco, California, according to police, who launched a large operation to locate the alleged perpetrator of the incident.
"We can confirm that the shooting left nine victims: all are expected to survive their injuries," the San Francisco Police Department said in a message posted on its Twitter account.
Several officers in a cordoned-off area of the La Misión neighborhood of San Francisco, California, where the shooting occurred that left nine wounded on the night of June 9, 2023.KNTV / KNTV
A group of agents moved to the popular district of La Misión around 9 p.m., after being alerted to a possible shooting in the area.
Upon arrival, "they found several or multiple victims suffering apparent gunshot wounds," municipal police spokeswoman Eve Laokwansatitaya told NBC News.
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The victims were taken to area hospitals, but authorities did not disclose the extent of their injuries.
"We believe that this is a selective and isolated incident," the police spokeswoman added, although she did not specify what motivated the shooting.
Laokwansathitaya also did not disclose details of the alleged suspect police are seeking.
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Santiago Lerma, a legislative aide to Hillary Ronen, a Democrat who represents District 9 on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, told local station NBC News KNTV that he heard the gunshots.
Lerma said he was "very concerned about the situation" after being with his three-month-old baby in the area where the shooting took place an hour before the incident.
"It's very scary," he said.
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Hours after the shooting, police said on Twitter that there was "no known threat to the public at this time."
The district of La Misión is a historic neighborhood with Latin roots, known for its diversity, nightlife and dozens of restaurants along its streets where hundreds of residents and tourists usually congregate on weekends.