WASHINGTON: One person was killed and six others wounded in a shooting in the US city of Indianapolis early Saturday, police said, a day after the country celebrated its independence day.
The shooting occurred around 1:27 am (0527 GMT) as officers were investigating disturbances, deputy police operations chief Tanya Terry told a news conference.
One was pronounced dead at the scene. Five wounded people were taken from the scene to hospital for treatment, while a sixth walked into a medical facility in a stable condition.
Three of the victims were juveniles, including the person who died, Terry said, without providing the ages and conditions of the other victims.
Police recovered several firearms at the scene and detained around seven people for questioning.
Indianapolis police chief Chris Bailey condemned recurring violence in the city’s downtown area, particularly involving young people.
“A kid is dead tonight,“ Bailey told reporters. “It’s unacceptable.”
The police chief said officers made about 20 arrests throughout the night and recovered guns from minors, including “an assault rifle stuffed in the front of his pants.”
Bailey criticised parents for allowing “hundreds of unsupervised kids” to roam the downtown area at night.
“We are not your children’s keeper. You are,“ he said. “Parents and guardians have got to step up.”
The chief said thousands of people had come downtown for fireworks and left peacefully, but others stayed and “caused trouble.”
The shooting marked the second weekend of violence in downtown Indianapolis, according to the police chief.
Serious gun violence is common across the United States, where many states have few barriers to the purchasing of firearms, despite widespread support for greater gun control.
There have been 189 mass shootings in the United States this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive — which it defines as four or more people shot.
