Two men fatally shot near art gallery in downtown Oakland

OAKLAND, Calif. (KGO) -- Police are investigating after two men were fatally shot and another was injured near an art gallery in downtown Oakland early Sunday morning.

Friends of the two victims, a 20 year old and a 22 year old, were at the Prime Development gallery Saturday night celebrating a friends birthday. At the peak, police say a crowd of 300 people spilled into the street. Just before 1 a.m., police say a fight inside escalated into a gun battle outside.

Officers say they found two men suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

Medical personnel tried to conduct first aid on the victims, however, they were pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.

Officers located a third man suffering from gunshot wounds just a couple blocks away. That victim was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition, police said.

"It's more than broken glass, it's a lot of broken hearts and broken dreams and a lot of pain," Oakland City council member Lynn McElhaney said.

She says the city has been pressuring these galleries to have proper permits and provide security when throwing these parties. But nearby business owners say there's an air of lawlessness here every weekend with out-of-control parties that they've been complaining about for more than a year. "The window smashing, the graffiti, that leads to more crime, nothing is happening about that and nothings done to stop people from having illegal parties it's like having a night club without a permit,," neighbor Mike Pryzveizski said.

The victims' identities are being withheld pending notification of their next of kin.

Police are investigating and won't say how many guns or suspects they're searching for.

Anyone with information about the shooting is asked to contact the police department's homicide section at (510) 238 3821 or the tip line at (510) 238-7950.

Bay City News contributed to this story.