"The nature of drag racing in itself is reckless and dangerous, but to get 100 strangers together, things can go south pretty quickly, and we saw that they did," says Ashley Ritchie with the Tulare County Sheriff's Office.
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Deputies responded to the area of Avenue 208 and Road 84 around 8 pm Sunday.
Officials say two groups of people shot at one another for reason's still unknown.
" At some point, an argument broke out, some type of fight broke out, someone pulled out a gun and started shooting," Ritchie said. "It appears the victims were just there to watch the drag racing. We don't condone it, but it seems as if those shot were just bystanders."
The five victims include two 17-year-olds, a 22-year-old, a 24-year-old and a 30-year-old.
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One of them drove themself to the hospital. The other four went to the Flying J Truck Stop off Highway 99 before an ambulance rushed them to a hospital.
Residents are now reacting to the violent night.
"Anyone's life could have been taken easily," a resident said. "Your lives are more important than some race. You have your whole life ahead of you."