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Seven children aged between the ages of 12 and 17 have been wounded in a shooting outside a shopping mall in Indianapolis, US late on Saturday (31 March) night.
Police patrolling the area heard shots fired near the Circle Centre Mall shortly after 11:30 p.m., Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Deputy Chief Tanya Terry said.
The officers found “a large group of juveniles” at the scene, including six who had gunshot wounds and were transported to area hospitals, Ms Terry said.
All of the victims are in a stable condition, but one was previously in a critical state, he said
“Once again, we have a situation in which young people are resolving conflict with firearms, and it has to stop,” Ms Terry said, adding, “Conflict should not lead to somebody pulling out a gun and trying to resolve it. The consequences are eternal.”
Ms Terry told NBC News police have noticed a pattern of young people leaving the mall after it closes at 7pm and staying in the nearby downtown area for hours.
She added: “If parents don’t know where their 12-year-old is at 11.30pm before Easter, that should “be a priority”.
This is the third shooting in three weekends in Indianapolis and investigators believe there was more than one gun used in the shooting, Ms Terry said.
No arrests were made and police did not have any suspects, she said.
One if the youngsters arrived separately at a hospital, police said.
Five people including a police officer were killed in a shooting on the east side of the city last Sunday, and the suspect was later shot and killed by another officer.
Another person was killed in a shooting at a bar earlier this month which left five others injured, the Indianapolis Star reports.
