Two dead, two injured in early-morning shooting near Moss Landing beach in California

Two people were killed and two others injured in a shooting near a beach in the California coastal community of Moss Landing early on Monday. Authorities said they are investigating what led to the deadly shooting near Moss Landing State Beach.

The Monterey County Sheriff's Office said deputies, California State Parks personnel and California Highway Patrol officers responded to reports of gunfire along Jetty Road in Moss Landing just before 2am.

Deputies found two people who were pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff's office said.

A third person who had been shot arrived at a local hospital; that person's condition was unknown. A fourth person was taken from the scene to a hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening, authorities said.

The identities of the two people killed are being withheld pending forensic examinations and notification of their families.

Monterey County Sheriff Tina M. Nieto said in a statement: 'This is a tragic incident that has resulted in the loss of two lives. Our detectives are working to establish the circumstances surrounding what occurred. We ask anyone who may have information, regardless of how insignificant it may seem, to come forward and assist with this investigation.'

California State Parks Police closed Jetty Road and Moss Landing State Beach at the request of the sheriff's office as the investigation continued. The sheriff's office said: 'There is no active threat to the Moss Landing community at this time.'

Authorities have not said what led to the shooting. The sheriff's office said: 'This remains an active investigation and additional information will be released as it becomes available.'

State Senator John Laird called the shooting an 'unspeakable horror' and offered his condolences to those affected. His statement noted reports of shooting deaths across the country over the weekend before the news of multiple fatalities just after midnight in Moss Landing, on the Central Coast, and thanked the Monterey County Sheriff and her team for managing the devastating situation.