Gunfire Erupts Near Courthouse, 2 Females Wounded

LANCASTER, CA, Sept. 19 (KNN) — A murder trial set off a confrontation between two families outside a Lancaster courthouse Tuesday morning that left two females wounded in a shooting.

Palmdale deputies from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department responded to reports of a shooting at the intersection of Sierra Highway and Avenue M at an Arco gas station where gunfire erupted just outside a busy courthouse.

Two victims were transported to a local area hospital with both suffering from gunshot wounds. A suspect vehicle description was immediately broadcast, and deputies were able to locate the suspect vehicle traveling southbound on Sierra Highway at Rancho Vista Boulevard.

Deputies detained the vehicle at gunpoint and gave verbal commands for the occupants to exit and surrender. They took at least four suspects or persons of interest into custody and recovered an assault style rifle from the vehicle.

The Michael D. Antonovich Superior Courthouse was placed on a brief lockdown during this incident, which has since been lifted.

The incident unfolded shortly after 10 a.m. Tuesday morning when two families were at the Michael D. Antonovich Superior Courthouse for a murder trial of Rashaud Ramsey who is on trial for the 2021 murder of Elijah Martin and attempted murder of one other person.

The two families exchanged words inside the court building which led to further confrontation outside the courthouse when allegedly members of Ramsey’s family opened fire on a crowd striking two victims.

By around noon, several gathered at the Antelope Valley Hospital following the shooting of the two victims, both female, who were rushed to the emergency room – one was shot in the face, the other in the leg.

While the victims’ family was at the hospital, a fight ensued between deputies and the family. A least two people were detained and two deputies injured. Their conditions are unknown.

Anthony Cheval, Video Journalist / KNN