One person was killed and four others were critically injured when a gunman opened fire inside a Southern California church on Sunday, the authorities said.
The gunman was detained outside the Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Woods, Calif., said Carrie Braun, a spokeswoman for the Orange County Sheriff’s Department. A motive for the shooting was not immediately clear, she said.
Four of the victims were in critical condition on Sunday afternoon, she said, and another victim was being treated for minor injuries. The person who was killed was found dead inside the church by the authorities, she said. Ms. Braun did not share additional details about the victims.
Officials responded to reports of a shooting at about 1:26 p.m., Ms. Braun said.
“My understanding is this all occurred inside the church building,” she said. “We’re trying to figure out what kind of a service was going on at the time.”
The department said that officials had recovered a weapon that might have been involved in the shooting.
Photos posted on social media showed a large presence of emergency responders outside the Geneva Presbyterian Church. A worker at a nearby business reported seeing police officers on the street and helicopters overheard.
The city of Laguna Woods, about 50 miles southeast of Los Angeles, was incorporated in 1999.
More than 90 percent of the city’s population of nearly 18,000 people consists of residents of Laguna Woods Village, a 2,100-acre age-restricted community where at least one resident of each housing unit must be 55 or older. Amenities include an equestrian center and a 27-hole golf course.