FAIRFIELD (CBS13) – Two young men were shot and killed Wednesday evening in the parking lot of a Fairfield apartment complex and the suspect remained at large.

The incident occurred on El Toro Court at the Parkway Gardens Apartments. The victims were identified as Vedell Jamar Chew, 24, of Fairfield, and Bernard Francis Knight, 18, of East Palo Alto. Both men died at the scene.

Police responded to calls of shots fired shortly before 5 p.m. and found the two men dead in what they say is a high-crime neighborhood.

“Here in this neighborhood, these things can happen at any time,” said Fairfield police Detective Cleo Mayoral.

Several people, including young children, witnessed the shooting in broad daylight. “He was just trying to breathe, that’s all he was doing. He was breathing hard,” said one woman who responded to one of the victims.

Police are looking for a black man with dreadlocks, athletic build, about 6-foot-1. He was seen running away from the crime scene with a gun, according to police. Officers are also looking for a gold Mercedes associated with the suspect.