Nine people injured in mass shooting in Rhode Island, police say
Police say as many as eight people may have been shot in incident
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Nine people were injured in a mass shooting in Rhode Island, police say.
Authorities say that three people were left critically injured when violence broke out in the Washington Park neighbourhood of the state’s capital Providence.
Police say that the shooting was part of an “ongoing feud” involving groups known by officials and started on Thursday evening when a drive-by shooting targeted a home in the city.
Gunfire was then returned from the property towards the vehicle, with dozens of shots being fired in total.
At least a dozen Providence Police Department cars were parked outside the emergency room at Rhode Island Hospital, reports say.
No arrests have been made and detectives are interviewing the victims, who are all aged between 19 and 25.
“This was not random. It was targeted at that address,” Police Chief Hugh Clement told reporters.
“We’ve taken a lot of guns off the street this year. Almost double the amount of last year. We have a gun issue in this city,” he added.
News crews outside the hospital reported seeing a black Jeep parked there with several bullet holes in the driver and passenger’s side windows.
Investigators were at the scene of the shooting, where shell casings could be seen on the ground, and a bullet hole in the window of a house, according to WPRI.
“Everybody is shaken,” said Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza.
“This has to stop. the young people involved believing that the way to solve their disputes is with a handgun. I mean, that just can’t be the way.
“It’s just too easy to access these guns and we have to do something about that.”