2 dead, 5 wounded in California cafe shooting

[February 06, 2009]  SAN GABRIEL, Calif. (AP) -- Masked gunmen opened fire inside a coffee shop, killing two men and wounding five others, police said Friday.

Officers who received a panic alarm call from the Coffee House cafe were headed there Thursday night when they were flagged down by several people who had been shot, police Sgt. Rene Hernandez said.

Witness said two men with bandanas over their faces entered the cafe and opened fire before fleeing, he said.

A man was declared dead at the scene and another person died at a hospital, Hernandez said.

Two other people were hospitalized in critical condition. Three others suffered wounds that were not considered life-threatening, including a man who was grazed by a bullet and declined hospital treatment, Hernandez said.

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

[Associated Press]

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