Orange near Los Angeles: shooter in office building kills several people

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Police on site: shooter in office building

Photo: PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP

According to police reports, a shooter killed several people south of Los Angeles in the US state of California.

The incident in the city of Orange took place in a smaller office building, local media reported, citing the police.

Four people were killed and two more injured, the first reports said.

A child is said to be among the fatalities, but police officers were not injured, according to NBC.

Governor: Terrible and heartbreaking

According to ABC, the alleged shooter was arrested after an exchange of fire with the police and taken to a hospital in the city south of Los Angeles.

The situation is under control.

The background to the shots is still unclear, and there is no information about a possible motive of the perpetrator either.

State governor Gavin Newsom called the incident horrific and heartbreaking.

"Our hearts go out to the families who have been hit by this terrible tragedy tonight," he tweeted.

Just last week, a gunman in the state of Colorado killed ten people in a supermarket.

A few days earlier, eight people had been shot dead in three massage parlors in and around Atlanta, Georgia.

In the United States, there are regular fatal incidents involving firearms that are easy to buy there.

apr / dpa