Multiple dead in North Carolina mass shooting

Several people have been killed in a shooting at a rural home in the US state of North Carolina, with authorities launching an investigation into what appears to have been a family-related incident.

The shooting occurred on Wednesday morning in Caswell County, where deputies responded to reports of gunfire shortly before 8 a.m. local time. On arrival, officers found multiple victims suffering from gunshot wounds, according to the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation.

One injured person was taken to hospital for treatment, while several others were pronounced dead at the scene.

Local officials later indicated that three members of the same family had died, including the suspected gunman. A fourth relative was hospitalised with gunshot injuries. Authorities have not yet released the identities of those involved or disclosed a possible motive.

Investigators from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, together with local law enforcement officers, remained at the property gathering evidence and interviewing witnesses as inquiries continued.

The incident is the latest in a series of deadly shootings across the United States, where gun violence continues to be a persistent public safety concern.

Earlier this month, one person was killed and five others injured in a neighbourhood shooting in Portland, Oregon. In a separate incident in Idaho, three people were killed and seven others were wounded after a shooting at an In-N-Out Burger restaurant in the city of Twin Falls.

Authorities in North Carolina said further information would be released as the investigation progresses.

With IANS inputs