Three People Shot Dead At California Garlic Festival

Police and ambulances have raced to a shooting at a food festival in California, with three people reported dead and several injured.

Video posted on social media showed people at the event running for cover as shots rang out.

A local city councilman, Dion Bracco, told The New York Times three people were killed and 12 injured in the shooting on the last day of the Gilroy Garlic Festival, an annual three-day event south of San Jose.

He did not know if the 12 injured included the three fatalities, the newspaper said.

One suspect was in custody, Bracco said.

"They don't know if there were more, so they have to treat it as an active situation," he told the newspaper.

"We have police out here from as far away as San Jose."

NBC Bay Area had reported that ambulance crews were told 11 people were "down" after the shooting.

Founded in 1979, the Gilroy Garlic Festival features food, drink, live entertainment and cooking competitions.

It was being held at the outdoor Christmas Hill Park, where weapons of any kind are prohibited, according to the event's website.

Gilroy is about 48 km southeast of San Jose.