A 15-year-old has been killed and several others injured following a shooting in Washington DC.
A police officer was also shot and injured when gunfire broke out at a street event in Northwest DC on Sunday evening (June 19).
DC police Chief Robert Contee said that three civilians, two adults, one juvenile and one police officer had been shot during the incident.
The injured police officer was transported to hospital in a "stable condition", DC Police Union said on Twitter. He had sustained a gunshot wound to the leg, Chief Contee said.
The shooting reportedly took place during a "Juneteenth" celebration - a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans.
At a press conference, Mayor Muriel Bowser appealed for calm and expressed her grief at the killing.
"A child is dead," she said. “We need some accountability here."
Several firearms were recovered from the scene by responding officers, Chief Contee noted.
Police are currently trying to locate a suspect.
In a separate incident in the city, a 16-year-old girl was found unconscious and not breathing in Southeast Washington D.C. on Sunday, police said, following reports of gunshots.
Initial reports said the girl had been fatally shot. The details of her injuries and her current condition are not known at this time.
The violence comes US lawmakers come under huge pressure to reduce gun violence after two mass shootings last month at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, and an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
