3 killed, 3 hurt in Illinois shooting

International Desk Published: 27 December 2020, 02:05 PM | Updated: 27 December 2020, 02:14 PM

FILE - A customer looks through the in-store sales advertisements inside a store that sells guns in Texas.

Three people were killed and another three injured Saturday in the U.S. state of Illinois when a shooter opened fire at a bowling alley, police said.

Rockford city police urged people on Twitter to stay away from the area near the Don Carter Lanes bowling alley, as it was an "active situation" and officers were clearing the site, reports Voice of America.

"It's still an ongoing investigation. We do have three individuals that are confirmed deceased," police Chief Dan O'Shea said in a press conference outside the building.

He said three other people had been injured from the gunfire and were being treated at local hospitals.

"We have a person of interest in custody. That's pretty much where we're at," O'Shea said, without specifying if the shooter had a motive.

Don Carter Lanes posted a simple message on Facebook after the shooting asking people to "pray please."

Shootings are a frequent occurrence in the United States, but despite the scale of the gun violence efforts to address it legislatively have long been deadlocked at the federal level.