2 Killed, 2 Hurt by Gunfire at Party

Two people were killed and two others were wounded after gunfire erupted at a birthday party in a West Covina home early Sunday, officials said.

Police responding to reports of shots fired at 2 a.m. found one man dead inside the house in the 2200 block of East James Avenue.

A second man died of gunshot wounds after being taken to Citrus Valley Medical Center’s Queen of the Valley Campus. A third man, 23, of Valinda and a woman, 22, of La Puente were being treated for gunshot wounds, authorities said.

Authorities identified the dead as Roberto Ruiz, 23, of La Puente, who died at the scene, and Adam Rodriguez, 20, of West Covina.

More than 30 stunned partygoers were standing outside the house when officers arrived, and several had already left the scene.

“It was chaos for a while,” said West Covina Police Cpl. Rudy Lopez, adding that many of the guests told police there was no sign of trouble before the shooting started in the quiet neighborhood. “Most of them said they didn’t see it coming.”

A neighbor who spoke to guests as they were leaving said the shooting may have been sparked when uninvited visitors arrived at the party.

“Supposedly, somebody gave them a dirty look and they opened fire,” said Patricia Stevenson, who lives two doors down from the house where the party was held.

Stevenson said she heard six shots.

It was a surprising sound, she said, on the normally quiet street of eight houses.

“For this to happen in this neighborhood, it doesn’t make me feel too good,” she said.

Police did not know the identity of the male shooter and were asking for help from party guests who left before officers arrived, Lopez said.

“We don’t know if the shooter was an invited guest or a party crasher,” he said.

Anyone with information is asked to call the West Covina Police Department at (626) 939-8557 or its anonymous hotline at (626) 939-8688.