Three teens were shot, one of them fatally, in downtown Las Vegas on Friday night during the popular First Friday event in the Arts District, police said.

The shooting, which appeared to have stemmed from a fight, left the two other victims with non-life-threatening injuries, a Metropolitan Police Department official said in a briefing early Saturday morning.

Lt. Robert Price said Metro officers assigned to patrol the First Friday event in the Arts District rushed to the scene at approximately 10:17 p.m. after hearing gunshots near the corner of Charleston Boulevard and Main Street.

Price said that police found three gunshot victims, including one who died after being transported to a hospital.

“It appears there was a group of individuals that got into a physical altercation,” Price said. “During that physical altercation, one individual pulls out a firearm, starts shooting into the crowd and ends up hitting three of the individuals in the altercation.”

Price said all of the victims were in their late teens. He said police detained several people, and that investigators did not have any information to conclude it was gang-related. In a news release Saturday afternoon, police said the suspect fled the scene prior to the arrival of officers.

Price encouraged anyone with any information or video from the scene to reach out to Metro homicide detectives or to call Crime Stoppers.

“It is a long process,” Price said. “Our homicide detectives are the best in the world and we’ll meticulously go through all the video and the information, and speaking to the individuals that we have stopped at this time, I believe we’ll be able to bring this to a resolution.”

First Friday, the arts and culture festival held on the first Friday of each month, was taking place in the Arts District Friday night.

“First Friday is always one of the top priorities for LVMPD,” Price said. “We staff it with additional officers, above and beyond the normal area command officers, to prevent any type of violence like this.”

Fahad Asad, owner of GoodHood Burgers, said Saturday that his trailer was only a few feet from the shooting. His team was preparing for the final wave of orders at First Friday when Asad said he saw attendees panicking, ducking and running away.

“Beforehand, there was a sense that something was brewing. These kids were amped up,” Asad said. “But nobody was expecting this.”

Asad said he had been a vendor at First Friday for about a year and a half. In the past, he said, the event had attracted loud and boisterous teenagers, but they had never posed a serious concern.

“We come from a third-world country, so we are very used to this, which is why our reaction was different than those running,” Asad said.

He said he moved toward the commotion and began counting gunshots. He counted eight or nine, he said. Believing the gun’s magazine was empty, Asad called for his team to bring a first-aid kit.

They then began helping one of the victims, a boy who appeared to be 17 or 18, Asad said.

He said he did not see the other victims or the shooter.

“We are incredibly grateful that our team is safe, but heartbroken for the young person who lost his life and for those who were injured.” Asad said in a statement on his restaurant’s social media. “Our thoughts are with their families and everyone affected.”

The organizers of First Friday issued a statement on social media early Saturday morning saying, in part, “Very unfortunately, we are heartbroken to confirm the incident during tonight’s event involving a shooting/gunfire and a reported 3 injuries in the vicinity of the event in its last minutes.”

The statement also said, “We are committed to doing everything we can in identifying the most thorough and appropriate response possible which we will provide before the planning or announcement of any future events.”

A statement from the nonprofit 18b Arts District organization said it would work with the First Friday Foundation, residents and law enforcement to make future events as safe as possible.

“First Friday has long been an important celebration of Las Vegas artists, makers, musicians, small businesses, and the creative community,” the organization said in a social media post Saturday. “We remain committed to supporting this important cultural tradition while ensuring that public safety remains at the forefront of its continued success.”

In the aftermath of the shooting, the Regional Transportation Commission said road closures were in place from Third Street to Grand Central Parkway and that Metro and Nevada Highway Patrol were closing the Interstate 15 northbound and southbound ramps at Charleston and Neon Gateway.

Contact Devan Patel at dpatel@reviewjournal.com. Contact Akiya Leggio at aleggio@reviewjournal.com