Three men dead, a fourth injured, after gunfire erupts at a house party in Castroville. Plus: A man shot in broad daylight in Salinas.

Three men are dead and a fourth was wounded after gunfire erupted early this morning at a house party in Castroville.

The Monterey County Sheriff's Office received the call about the shooting at 1:30am, and as of this afternoon, investigators were still gathering evidence at the scene, which office spokesperson Chief Deputy John Thornburg describes as "a real mess." Meanwhile, the investigation is being hampered because party attendees scattered when deputies arrived.

"The combination of three deceased victims, a party and a shooting, a mess is the best way to describe it," Thornburg says. "The amount of evidence we have to collect is amazing. Everything you have at a party, plus biological evidence and firearm evidence, we have to collect all of it."

All four victims were described as men in their early 20s, and all were residents of Salinas. Two of the three deceased have been identified, but their names are being withheld pending notification to their families. The wounded man was taken to Natividad Medical Center for treatment; his condition on Monday afternoon was not known.

Also not currently known is a motive for the shooting. 

"We know it was a party, and what we don't know is what went sideways," Thornburg says. "When they heard us arriving, they left. If we could figure out who was at the party, it would be a big help."

In Salinas on Monday afternoon, police were investigating a shooting that took place just about 12:30pm near the intersection of East Alisal and California streets, just a few blocks from Oldtown. Salinas Police spokesman Miguel Cabrera says the victim was taken to a hospital, but his condition was unknown. 

The victim was found lying in the street near a popular produce stand on Alisal Street.