Shooting Erupts at USC Halloween Party

A crowded Halloween party at the University of Southern California took a truly scary turn early today, after a reported argument between two non-students escalated to a shooting. A rep for the university's department of public safety tells CNN that one of the men was critically wounded and three more people were injured. In a statement on its website, USC reports that a suspect is in custody; it issued the following statement: "Threat is over. No students, faculty, staff involved. Campus open with USC ID. Classes resume in morning."

Witnesses describe the scene to the Los Angeles Times: "Everyone started running. I saw a guy who was shot in the leg. He was limping and screaming for his friends to help him." Says another, "Everyone ran like hell. We just ducked down." The LAT notes that this isn't the first Halloween-timed violence at the school; Bryshon Nellum, a sprinter who went on to become an Olympic medalist, was shot in the leg at a 2008 Halloween party. Today's incident follows a more recent tragedy there. (More University of Southern California stories.)