1 man shot, several people stabbed in mass brawl at California lake

A man was shot and more than five people were stabbed in a violent brawl at a lake in Northern California on Saturday, police said.

Two of the stabbing victims were taken by helicopter from the Lake Berryessa crime scene, while others were transported to hospitals in private vehicles, the San Jose Mercury News reported. The deceased man has not been publicly identified.

“There were several victims who were stabbed,” Henry Wofford, spokesman for the Napa County Sheriff’s Office, told the newspaper. “We don’t have an exact number at this time. To my knowledge, there are certainly more than five who were stabbed.”

According to the Mercury News, no suspects have been arrested in connection with the violence, nor have their identities been publicly released.

Police arrived at the Oak Shores Day Use Area around 5:30 p.m. Saturday, the Santa Rosa Press Democrat reported. The public area on the west side of the lake is a popular gathering place on summer weekends and is located about 45 miles north of San Francisco Bay.

“We didn’t witness the fight,” Wofford told Mercury News. “When we got there, there was no fight, there were victims, victims with stab wounds and one victim with gunshot wounds. It was pretty chaotic.”

Investigators from multiple agencies worked through the night to interview witnesses and collect evidence from the scene, Wofford said. But police said they did not know what sparked the violence.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Lake Berryessa has been the scene of several fatal drowning accidents since 2020. Although the water itself has proven treacherous, the area is not known for violence.