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Gene Kennedy reportingA family fun night at a West Valley City bowling alley turns violent Sunday night.
Bowlers who were at the Delton Sports Complex late last night say the violence began with words. An argument in the bowling alley carried over to the parking lot. That's when the bats stopped swinging and the bullets started flying.
It was league night, so the bowling alley was packed.
Elizabeth Zavala / Bowler: "We were bowling and a lot them brought their kids because it was fun night with the league."
Humberto Zavala / Bowler: "There were a lot of people inside with kids and it was pretty horrible."
Horrible is how it ended. But it began with only words and gestures, according to this bowler.
Armando Zavala / Bowler: "They were just throwing up gang signs. It was just over somebody looking at another guy the wrong way."
A friend told Armando Zavala that two men agreed to duke it out in the parking lot. But the two men didn't end up on stretchers because of a fist fight.
Humberto Zabala/ At bowling alley at time of shooting: "They were out there with baseball bats hitting cars. We saw a couple of cars over there with windows broken. (reporter: ‘The blue car looked like it was totally bashed up.') Yeah, that one had all of its windows blown out with bats."
The fight escalated into gunfire. Three men shot were shot; one in the stomach, another in the leg and one in the chest.
Humberto Zavala / Bowler: "We came outside afterwards and saw a guy laying by my son's car shot."
At the time, police needed someone who spoke Spanish to talk to the victim. Cecilia Ramirez volunteered.
Cecilia Ramirez / Bowler who talked to victim: "I just asked him what was involved. (reporter: ‘He didn't know the man who shot him?) No he didn't know."
Police don't know if the man was involved somehow or had just got caught in the crossfire. They say witnesses haven't been very cooperative. Three men police detained for questioning have not been arrested.
Armando Zavala / Bowler: "Everyone's having fun and they had to ruin a good night."
West Valley Police say they've heard 15 different stories as to what happened at this bowling alley last night. Investigators are not saying if this was gang-related. They have said two groups of people have had an on-going dispute for a couple days, but police they're not sure what it's over.
The man who was shot in the chest is in critical condition but police say the three victims are expected to survive.
