Washington, May 1 : The Fresno police department in California on Wednesday denied reports that one of the two persons attacked in a shooting incident was Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar.

'If you are inquiring because of the online chatter claiming that the shooting victim is 'Goldy Brar', we can confirm that this is absolutely not true,' Lieutenant William J. Dooley said in an emailed statement in response to a query.

'We have received inquiries from around the world this morning as a result of misinformation being spread on social media and online news agencies. We are not sure who started this rumour, but it caught on and spread like wildfire. But again, it isn't true. The victim is definitely not Goldy.'

The police have not yet identified the two persons who were attacked, one of whom died at a hospital later. The other person was released from the hospital after treatment.

They two were attacked at Fairmont and Holt Avenue in the northwestern part of Fresno after a fight on Tuesday evening, the police said earlier.

The younger of the two, said to be in his 30s, was shot in the upper body. He was taken to the hospital in critical condition where he died later. The other man was hit in the lower part of the body and was released from the hospital after treatment.

But reports of the shooting spread like wildfire in India, claiming the deceased was gangster Goldy Brar.

The US media was cited as a source, but the details were either sketchy or wrong.

One report said the man was shot outside the Fairmont Hotel in California. Some reports even claimed that rival gang leaders had claimed responsibility for the killing.

/IANS