Victim Identified In Granada Bowl Triple Shooting; Suspect At-Large

LIVERMORE, CA — A victim has been identified in a triple shooting at the Granada Bowl bowling alley shooting Saturday night that killed one and injured two others. The assailant remains at large as of Monday morning. Police have said they believe the shooter is a man in his 20s and they believe they know who he is, but have not released any further information.

Family members have identified the shooting’s victim as 28-year-old Antonio de Vargas.

"Antonio Vargas was an only son, but a brother to many," Cathy Gutierrez wrote on Facebook Sunday, as reported by the Livermore Vine. "He was and is loved and adored by his parents, who are still in shock and expecting to see him walk through the door at any moment and end this nightmare. Antonio was a hard worker and devoted son. He loved to spend time with his friends and just loved life."

De Vargas’s father started a GoFundMe page for his son that has raised over $21,600 as of Monday morning. “On July 16, 2022 my son was shot and killed,” Jose Antonio Vargas wrote. “His sudden death has shocked and has left our family completely devastated. We would greatly appreciate any donations to help lay our loved one. Thank you and may god bless you all for your help and love during these difficult times.”

The other two victims are in the hospital and expected to recover, police said. Police have also said that all three victims and the shooter were males in their 20s who knew each other. Police said in a news conference they believe they know the shooter, but he fled the area and remains on the run.

Gunfire erupted around 6 p.m. Saturday at the bowling alley on Railroad Avenue and P Street, where many children and families were celebrating a child’s birthday party. Police say an argument broke out in the bar area, and a man shot several rounds with a handgun, shooting three people.

“We believe they knew of each other, but what prompted it, the verbal altercation, we don’t know what caused it,” Livermore Police Department Sgt. Steve Goard told the Livermore Vine.

Children and family members ran out of the Granada Bowl to take shelter.

“We started running and sprinting out of the bowling alley, and I went very far to try and get safe,” a 13-year-old named Collin told NBC Bay Area. “I was very scared. I felt like I was going to die.”

“A lot of people had left without their belongings,” Cynthia Sutton, who owns the Creative Healing Center across the street, told NBC. “Some of them still had their bowling shoes on - they weren’t allowed to go back in and retrieve their cars because even the parking lot was a crime scene.”

The Granada Bowl closed for the remainder of the weekend, but said it will reopen Monday at 4 p.m., according to a statement on its social media pages. The bowling alley also said it was pausing its "kids bowl" free program as "we are managing how to move forward from this situation." Anyone with questions is asked to contact manager@granadabowl.com.

“The staff and management of Granada Bowl are deeply saddened by the senseless act of violence that occurred at our center on Saturday evening,” the alley said in a statement on Instagram. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families. The safety and security of our customers and employees is and always will continue to be a top priority. We will do everything in our power to assist local authorities in bringing the responsible party to justice.”

GoFundMe is a Patch promotional partner.

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