A pregnant woman and her unborn baby were among six killed in am 'evil' mass shooting, it has been reported.
Police believe the slaughter which took place in Indianapolis, US was a targeted attack carried out by multiple gunmen.
A boy was said to have been shot during the violence in the early hours of Sunday, but he survived.
The mass shooting was reportedly discovered after police found the boy having sustained a gunshot wound at about 4am.
Further investigations led to a nearby property where officers were said to have found the bodies of multiple victims who had been killed.
Reports say that the boy was the only survivor from the shooting and no motive or suspect information has yet been released.
The city’s mayor Joe Hogsett called the attack "an act of depravity” that has “become all too common across the country”, the Indianapolis Star reports.
He said: “This morning, one or more individuals perpetrated an act of evil in our city. What happened this morning was not a simple act of gun violence.
“What happened this morning was a mass murder."
Police Chief Randal Taylor reportedly said it was the largest largest mass shooting in the city in more than a decade.
He said investigators now believe it was a targeted incident and that there may have been multiple shooters involved.
He said: “I’m angry that the perpetrators felt they had the right to commit this senseless act in our community.
“It has to stop. Our community doesn’t deserve this.”
Reports say that the attack was one of five shootings to take place across the city in just five hours.
At least seven people were also taken to hospital for treatment from the other incidents, officials said.
It comes less than a week after it was reported guns were selling out in the US amid fears new President Joe Biden will toughen up ownership rules with people panic-buying ahead of his inauguration.
His vow to end gun violence while in office reportedly led to a spike in firearms sales across the nation.