On Oct. 2 at 11 p.m., officers responded to reports of a large party taking place at the Artist Lounge in the University Plaza. As first responders were on their way to shut down the party, two gunshots were fired and struck two partygoers. Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) detectives told the Daily Sundial that the shooting did happen during the party in the Artist Lounge.
“As they arrived, two gunshots were heard, possibly three, and the partygoers came running out of the party, and officers went inside, [and] found two deceased individuals,” said Supervising Homicide Detective Gabriel Bucknell.
The victims have been identified as 18-year-old Jaydin Lewis and 19-year-old Kimberly Pastor by their relatives and family members who attended the vigil Sunday night. LAPD has not officially confirmed the victims’ names and continues to referred to them as an 18-year-old Black man and 19-year-old Hispanic woman.
Amidst the chaos, the shooter was able to get away and has yet to be found.
Officers began to detain over a dozen people that were fleeing the scene in order to question them about the situation. The individuals detained were in zip ties lined up all around the plaza as tensions began to settle with the shooter still not identified.
“No suspects at the time, we’re reviewing video footage at this time, and no motive,” said Bucknell.
With the shooting being so close to campus, nearby apartment residents felt especially fearful that the shooter would run and hide nearby or inside of their complexes.
Ethan Maldonado, a third year student at CSUN and a resident at the Campus Crossing apartment complex just around the corner from University Plaza, was in shock when he found out about the situation.
“I found out about the shooting from my friend’s group chat,” said Maldonado. “I wasn’t at home, which it’s like a two minute walk from where the shooting happened…that kind of worried me because it was so close to my apartment and I knew people were at my spot just hanging out.”
The close proximity to campus also adds the possibility of CSUN students being in attendance during this incident.
“I know a lot of people are gonna feel unsafe coming to school next week because of the situation,” said Maldonado. “It really sucks cause I don’t know this, but there’s probably a bunch of students that went to that party and yeah, I just it sucks what happened.”
The Artist Lounge announced on its Instagram that it will hold a vigil on Sunday, Oct. 4, at 6 p.m., in remembrance of the victims and in support of those affected.
In the statement posted on their Instagram Sunday morning, Artist Lounge wrote, “Enough tragedies. Enough loss. Our hearts are with the victims and their families.”
Irene Ajemyan-Lake, founder and program director of Artist Lounge, has also created a GoFundMe fundraiser to provide additional support for the victims’ families and aid in the Artist Lounge’s recovery.
In the GoFundMe statement, Ajemyan-Lake wrote, “We are grieving. We are hurting. But we also believe that our community can come together with compassion and support for the families who have suffered an unimaginable loss.”
Editor’s note: This article was last updated at 11:21 a.m. on Monday, Oct. 5, 2026.
