SAN FRANCISCO, June 30 -- A group of Asians opened fire on a second group in Chinatown Friday night, wounding seven people in a shooting police said was related to illegal Fourth of July fireworks. Sgt. Barbara Davis, of the San Francisco Police Department, said the shooting occurred on Stockton Street in the heart of Chinatown and the perpetrators appeared to be arguing with some of the victims over fireworks. Davis said the Fireworks Suppression Task Force has been at work in Chinatown for several weeks and has confiscated 3 tons of illegal fireworks, including 200 pounds of fireworks seized earlier Friday.
Police investigators were in the area when the shots rang out about 5:45 p.m., Davis said, adding a handgun, a shotgun and an assault weapon were used in the shooting. Two of the shooting victims appeared to be innocent bystanders caught in the crossfire, police said. The bystanders were identified as a pregnant 30-year-old woman and her 50-year-old mother. Neither was seriously injured. The two women and the other five victims were taken to San Francisco General Hospital. One of the victims, a 23-year-old man, was in critical condition with a stomach wound. Investigators said the shooting erupted after the two groups, believed rival gangs, began arguing in the heart of Chinatown. The shooting took place as the city streets were bustling with early evening weekend holiday traffic. It was the worst shooting since 1993 when a crazed gunman opened fire in a San Francisco law firm, killing eight people and wounding six others before killing himself. Ironically, that shooting took place two years ago Saturday.
