1 dead, 6 wounded in SoCal cafe shooting

SAN GABRIEL, Calif. " Police on Friday sought two masked gunmen who opened fire inside a coffee shop, killing at least one man and wounding six other people, several of them critically.

Officers who received a panic alarm call from the Coffee House cafe were heading to the Valley Boulevard business shortly after 11:15 p.m. Thursday when they were flagged down by several people who had been shot, city police Sgt. Rene Hernandez said.

Witness said two men with bandanas over their faces entered the cafe and opened fire before running away, Hernandez and Los Angeles County sheriff's investigators said.

Hernandez said two people died, one at the scene and one at a hospital.

However, the Sheriff's Department and the county coroner's office both said only one person was killed " a man who was pronounced dead at the scene.

There was no immediate way to resolve the contradiction.

The dead man's identity was not immediately released.

Six other people were wounded, including at least two that were taken to hospitals in critical condition, authorities said. Their conditions were not immediately available early Friday.

The motive for the shooting was under investigation but sheriff's investigators said it did not appear to be robbery because the gunmen opened fire immediately and did not demand money.

The coffee shop's surveillance cameras were not working properly and did not record the attack, Hernandez said.

San Gabriel is about 20 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.