OCEANSIDE -- No evidence of violence remained Monday in the San Luis Rey neighborhood in north Oceanside where three people were wounded Sunday in what authorities said may be a gang-related drive-by shooting.

Two teenage boys and a man standing outside of the Timbers Apartments in the 500 block of Fredricks Avenue were hit by shots fired from a sport utility vehicle shortly after 9 p.m., police said.

"(The victims are) all expected to recover," said Sgt. Leonard Mata.

The suspects are described as a group of Latino males driving a brown or black SUV with large chrome wheels, Mata said. They drove up to the victims -- ages 16, 17 and 20 -- at about 9:10 p.m. and exchanged words before shooting the victims as they ran away.

Mata said two victims were transported by Mercy Air helicopter to a local trauma center, and an ambulance crew took the third to a local hospital.

The names of the injured weren't released, so their conditions weren't available.

No one was in custody as of Monday evening, Mata said.

The shooting shattered a tranquil Sunday night for the senior citizens living at the nearby Rancho San Luis Rey mobile home park at 200 N. El Camino Real, said one resident.

"It was like rapid fire, maybe 10 or 15 shots rolled off," resident Victor Ry-Nash said. "It caught our attention. It was so distinctive, because Sunday night's very quiet."

Jessica Foster, who said she lives upstairs from one of the victims, said she didn't hear the gunshots but saw a neighbor making a 911 call.

"Everyone was out watching, we saw the helicopters go out," she said, adding that detectives remained at the complex until at least 3:30 a.m.

The shooting came as a surprise to some area residents, who said while there are occasional problems in the modest, tree-lined neighborhood, things have generally improved over the last several years.

The neighborhood and apartment complex was quiet Monday, the only activity was children playing and residents walking dogs.

Oceanside resident Aaron Isaia, who visited nearby Fireside Park with his children Monday afternoon, credited the city's police with making the area quieter than when he was growing up.

"A couple of years ago there was some gangs, but now it's calm," said Isaia, adding that he lives in a different neighborhood but often spends time in San Luis Rey because of family that lives there.

"In the late '80s, when I was growing up, it was wild in Oceanside, period," Isaia said. "Gangs were more seen, but now you don't see as many. They were more flamboyant back then."

Timbers resident Adam Foster said that in the month he has lived in the complex, he hasn't really noticed gang-related activity.

"You don't see too many people out in bandanas or anything," though there is graffiti, he said, pointing at spray-painted scrawls on the sidewalk.

However, neighborhood resident Ernie Nieto said police presence in the area has recently picked up.

"In the last three weeks there's been stuff going on," he said.

According to police, a 14-year-old boy was assaulted and robbed on Fredricks Avenue on Wednesday by another teen, who stole his month-old puppy. Authorities also reported an apparent gang-related shooting at Fireside Park on March 17 that left one man injured.

Contact staff writer Sarah Wilkins at (760) 761-4414 or swilkins@nctimes.com.