Police said the Sunday night shooting followed a large fight involving multiple people at the waterfront landmark.
SANTA MONICA, CA — Two adults were shot and wounded after a large fight broke out on the Santa Monica Pier at about 9 p.m. Sunday, drawing a heavy police response to one of Southern California’s busiest tourist sites.
Authorities said both victims suffered wounds that were believed to be non-life-threatening, and investigators were still working Monday to determine what set off the fight, who fired the shots and whether more than one shooter was involved. The violence briefly shut down all or part of the pier, a well-known destination that draws crowds of visitors and locals, and it left police trying to sort out a fast-moving confrontation in a crowded public place.
Santa Monica police said officers were sent to the pier after reports of shots fired. By the time they arrived, a large fight involving multiple people had already unfolded and gunfire had been reported during the clash. Lt. Lewis Gilmour, the department’s public information officer, said officers found one wounded person on the pier and gave initial aid before that victim was taken to a nearby hospital. A second wounded person later made it to a hospital on their own, according to police. Both victims were identified only as adults, and officials did not release their names, ages or hometowns by Monday. Police also did not say whether either of the wounded people had been involved in the fight itself or whether they were bystanders caught up in the violence.
Investigators have described the shooting as tied to the groups involved in the fight, but many basic facts remained unsettled a day later. Police had not announced any arrests, released any suspect descriptions or said whether officers had recovered a weapon. They also had not said exactly where on the pier the shots were fired, though local reports said the first 911 call pointed officers toward the Pier Burger area. Early statements from the department were limited and careful, stressing that the case remained active. “Additional information will be released as it becomes available,” police said in the city’s late-night statement. The department said the cause of the fight was not immediately known. That left a wide gap in the public record Monday, with investigators still trying to establish the sequence of the argument, how many people took part and what happened in the seconds before gunfire broke out.
The setting gave the incident an added weight. The Santa Monica Pier is more than a local gathering spot; it is one of the region’s best-known public spaces, lined with restaurants, rides, vendors and ocean views at the western end of Colorado Avenue. The city says Santa Monica draws more than 8 million visitors a year, and the pier has long been one of its signature attractions. Built in 1909, the structure is both a tourist destination and a civic landmark, which means even a short burst of violence there can ripple beyond the immediate victims. On a typical evening, the pier is used by families, workers finishing the day, tourists taking photos and diners moving between beach and boardwalk businesses. That constant flow of foot traffic can make witness accounts harder to piece together and can complicate evidence collection when officers arrive after people have already scattered.
Police moved quickly to secure the scene Sunday night, first closing the pier to the public and then keeping portions of it restricted while detectives worked. Officers were seen taking over the area as they gathered information and tried to separate witnesses from the larger crowd. By Monday, authorities were still signaling that the case was in its early stages. No criminal charges had been announced, and there was no court date or hearing on the calendar because no suspect had been publicly identified. The next procedural step is likely to be the release of updated police findings, which could include whether detectives believe the shooting was gang-related, personal, accidental or connected to some other dispute. Investigators also are expected to review surveillance footage, interview witnesses and compare those accounts with physical evidence collected from the scene and hospitals.
The public picture that emerged by Monday was narrow but clear on several points. The shooting happened after a large fight. Two adults were wounded. Both were expected to survive. Police believe the violence was isolated to the groups involved rather than a broader threat to the public at large. At the same time, some of the most important details were still missing. Officials had not said how many shots were fired, how many people were in the fight, whether the victims knew each other or whether the suspected shooter or shooters had fled before police arrived. They also had not described the condition of the victims beyond saying the injuries appeared non-life-threatening. For businesses on and around the pier, the episode added another tense moment at a place that depends on a sense of openness and safety to keep visitors coming.
What witnesses experienced was a scene that changed quickly from a fight to an emergency. Local accounts said the gunfire sent people running as officers rushed toward the pier and locked down access. The first official description from police was brief and measured, reflecting how little had been confirmed in the first hours after the shooting. Gilmour said one victim was found on the pier while the second reached a hospital later, a detail that suggested the confusion of the aftermath. That uncertainty is likely to shape the investigation in the days ahead, especially if detectives rely on video, phone recordings and conflicting witness statements to rebuild the timeline. For now, the pier remains open as both a symbol of the city and the site of an unresolved shooting that began with a group fight and ended with two people in the hospital.
The case remained under investigation Monday, March 16, with Santa Monica police saying more information would be released later. The next milestone is the department’s next public update on suspects, arrests and any new evidence from the pier.
Author note: Last updated March 16, 2026.