PHOENIX — Nine people were shot, one of whom was fatally wounded, after an altercation between multiple parties in Phoenix escalated early Saturday morning, according to police.
The shooting took place at a strip mall at about 1 a.m. in north Phoenix, both inside the building and in a nearby parking lot and roadway area.
Phoenix police Sgt. Andy Williams told reporters nine people he characterized as young adults were taken to hospitals after the late-night shooting sent people running.
One female died after being transported to a local hospital. Another female, five males and a teenage boy face life-threatening injuries. Police said at least two of the injured victims were in critical condition.
Information about injuries to the ninth victim was not immediately available.
Williams said it appeared that a handgun was used after an argument erupted among those gathered for what he termed “some sort of party.”
“Many rounds were shot into this crowd of people as everyone fled the area,” he said.
In an interview posted by ABC 15 Williams said no suspects were immediately identified and no arrests were made while authorities pieced together witness accounts.
Victims’ ages ranged from about 17 to 24, according to police.
Officials announced before 9 a.m. on Saturday that a road near the strip mall would be closed while detectives process the area and look for witnesses and evidence.
The shooting in north Phoenix follows several high-profile mass shootings in recent weeks. Ten people were killed at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York, on May 14. Last week, 19 students and two teachers died in a shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas. And on Wednesday, four people were killed a medical building in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Meanwhile on Thursday, President Joe Biden called on Congress to pass sweeping gun control legislation.
Contributing: The Associated Press