Two polling stations in California were placed on lockdown Tuesday following a nearby shooting that killed one person and wounded three, the authorities said.

The shooting took place in early afternoon in the city of Azusa, 25 miles

(40 kilometers) east of Los Angeles, Vanessa Lozano, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department, told AFP.

Officers arriving at the scene found "multiple shooting victims" and came under fire, Azusa police tweeted.

Three people were transported to a hospital with gunshot wounds and one was dead on arrival, Lozano said.

Details about the incident, which happened in a residential neighborhood, were sketchy.

Two polling stations in the area were placed on lockdown along with nearby schools, according to local officials.

Azusa police advised residents to stay clear of the area and shelter in place as officers combed the neighborhood for at least one suspect believed to be heavily armed.

Local government official Dean Logan advised voters to find other polling sites to cast their ballots.

"Voters should avoid the area and, if necessary, cast a ballot at an alternate polling location,"  he tweeted.

A woman inside one of the affected polling stations said she heard shots ring out before officials placed the area on lockdown. Some 30 people were inside when the incident unfolded, she said.

"At first, I thought it was construction but people came running into the room saying they see a guy with a bulletproof vest and a white shirt," she told CNN. "As of right now, they just have us in the voting room and are trying to keep us calm."  (AFP)