LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- A man with a rifle opened fire near a church Saturday morning in the San Fernando Valley and wounded three people, Los Angeles police said.
Emergency services respond to a shooting Saturday at St. John Baptist de la Salle Parish.
The intended victim was the gunman's 30-year-old ex-girlfriend, according to CNN affiliate KTLA. She was struck in the shoulder and is in stable condition at a local hospital, KTLA reported.
The suspect is the father of a student who goes to the church school, according to KTLA.
A second victim was in stable condition and a third was in critical condition, Los Angeles police spokeswoman Norma Eisenman said. Watch police on the scene »
The man in critical condition was shot in the chest. He is 45. Another man, 47, was struck in the leg and is in stable condition, reported KTLA.
The Rev. Robert Milbauer, the parish's pastor, told The Associated Press that about 50 people, mainly church volunteers and their children, were setting up food and game booths and carnival-style rides when the gunfire erupted.
"I was walking toward the festival area to say an opening prayer and I saw them," Milbauer told AP of the shooting victims.
"I heard bang, bang, bang, bang. It sounded like balloons popping," said Jeff Sempelsz, a church volunteer speaking to AP. "I didn't know what it was but I could see the rifle in his hand."
William Griffin, a security guard at the festival, was standing near the entrance. "I heard someone yell, 'Somebody's shooting. Somebody's shooting.' I turned and saw a man with a long rifle. He was very calm," Griffin told AP.
The guard said he herded people into the church, then began locking the doors. The man who had been shot in the leg calmly limped in with the others, Griffin told AP.
Police said the gunman is expected to be charged with three counts of attempted murder.
The suspect was reloading his weapon when he was tackled by several witnesses who were volunteers at the festival. The shooter put up a fight, struggling and taunting people as they were trying to subdue him. KTLA said the suspect and the weapon were taken into custody near the church, St. John Baptist de la Salle Parish in the Granada Hills area of Los Angeles.