Two people were shot and wounded at a pro-marijuana rally on Saturday in Denver, Colorado, as people gathered to celebrate the first 420 party since state voters legalized the recreational use of pot.
Denver Police spokesman Sonny Jackson said a man and woman were shot and are expected to survive, according to Reuters. Police are still searching for the suspects involved.
"I heard five or six gunshots in quick succession," said Cole Wagenknecht, 27, who attended the rally at a downtown park near the State Capitol. "That's why I knew it wasn't fireworks. Then everybody started to scatter and ran toward one end of the park."
Witnesses described a scene in which a jovial atmosphere quickly turned to one of panic just before 5 p.m. Several thought firecrackers were being set off, then a man fell bleeding, his dog also shot.
The shootings came at a sensitive time for Colorado marijuana activists, who are closely watching proposals from state lawmakers on the rules that will govern the sale of small amounts of pot to people 21 and older.
Voters in Colorado and Washington state became the first in the country to approve recreational use of marijuana.
Denver police spokeswoman Raquel Lopez said she did not immediately have any details on possible arrests related to marijuana use at the rally.
