US: Police officer among 5 dead in shooting in North Carolina, gunman 'contained'

North Carolina: Five people including an off-duty police officer were shot dead on Thursday, October 13, prompting a massive manhunt that shut down part of the North Carolina capital of Raleigh and resulted in the suspect being "contained," Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin said. At least two other people including a police officer were wounded and taken to hospital, Baldwin told a news conference.

An active shooter is on the loose in a residential area of Raleigh in the US state of North Carolina, police said on Thursday. The Raleigh Police said that an active investigation is underway on what was described as an "active shooting". They advised residents in several to stay inside their homes.

"Multiple law enforcement agencies are involved in this investigation. We are advising residents in the area of Hedingham neighbourhood to remain indoors," Raleigh Police tweeted.

"This is still an active investigation. Sections of the Hedingham neighbourhood remain closed. Residents should follow the directions of law enforcement officials on the scene," it added.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said that he has spoken to the city Mayor. "I have spoken with Mayor Baldwin and instructed state law enforcement to provide assistance responding to the active shooter in East Raleigh. State and local officers are on the ground and working to stop the shooter and keep people safe," Cooper tweeted.

The police said residents in the area of McConnell Oliver Drive, Tarheel Club Drive, and Old Milburnie Road are being advised to remain indoors. "Drivers are advised to avoid the area and seek alternate routes."

"We must stop this mindless violence in America," Baldwin said, without providing many details about the shooting spree.

The suspected shooter was thought to be a white teenage male with a long gun, ABC News affiliate WTVD reported, adding no one had been taken into custody yet but that the suspect had been cornered in a garage by authorities.

There were multiple crime scenes associated with the active shooting situation, the report added. Helicopter video from WRAL-TV showed more than a dozen emergency vehicles lined up on a road through a wooded area. North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said he spoke to Baldwin and was deploying state resources to assist at the scene.

(With ANI/Reuters inputs)