At least one person was killed in a mass shooting in Washington DC.
Investigators believe the shooters got out of a vehicle and began firing into a crowd of people on the street in the Carver Langston neighbourhood, just after 6pm on Wednesday.
On top of the man who was killed, a woman and a nine-year-old were taken by ambulance to local hospitals.
A 12-year-old later arrived at a hospital with a gunshot wound and is also believed to be a victim in the shooting, said the Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela Smith.
The District of Columbia is struggling with a sharp increase in violent crime, which went up 39 per cent last year.
The increase was largely fueled by a 35 per cent rise in homicides and growth in carjackings, which nearly doubled.
Ms Smith has pushed lawmakers to pass legislation that would strengthen penalties for gun offences in the nation's capital.
The gunmen fled the scene after the violence broke out.
Police have issued a public alert for the car they believe the shooters were in.
There are possibly two shooters at large.
Washington Police posted on X: “Lookout is for a for a light blue Toyota sedan, UNK tags, no front tags, dark tints, black rims with possibly occupied with two shooters inside. L/S heading Eastbound on Maryland Ave NE.”
Ms Smith said: “We are working tirelessly to really help remove some of these illegal guns that are on our streets, we’re working with our ATFs, we’re working with some of our taskforce.
“What we’re seeing is an increase in guns in the district and we’re doing everything we can to ensure we’re removing those guns off of our streets.”
