2 killed by gunmen at LA-area parties

Groups of gunmen attacked two separate parties during the night in the Los Angeles area, killing two teenagers and wounding at least nine other people, authorities said Sunday.

There were no immediate arrests in either shooting, police said.

The first shooting happened late Saturday at a Long Beach Masonic temple, where several gang members apparently crashed a birthday party and started a fight, police Sgt. Dina Zapalski said.

A 17-year-old boy and a 15-year-old girl died of gunshot wounds, Zapalski said. Another 17-year-old boy suffered injuries that were not life-threatening.

Hundreds of partygoers were taken by bus to a nearby elementary school, where police questioned them, Zapalski said.

Parents of guests who rushed to the lodge after hearing of the shootings told the Long Beach Press-Telegram the party attracted a huge crowd because it was advertised on the Internet.

Early Sunday, four or five men turned up at a party in Compton and opened fire, Los Angeles County Sheriff's Deputy Tony Moore said.

Eight people were wounded in the Compton shooting, three of them critically, authorities said. Moore said it was not known if that attack was gang-related.