US authorities in South Carolina say they are investigating shooting at a nightclub in Hampton County early Sunday that left at least nine people injured.
It was the second mass shooting in the state over the Easter holiday weekend, and the third in the nation.
The South Carolina shootings and one in Pittsburgh that left two minors dead early Sunday at least 31 people injured.
South Carolina’s State Law Enforcement Division is investigating the early Sunday shooting at Cara’s Lounge in Hampton County. The agency said in an email there were no reported fatalities.
No information was immediately available on the severity of the injuries. Hampton County is roughly 129 kilometres west of Charleston. A phone call to the nightclub was not answered.
In Pittsburgh, meanwhile , two minors were killed and at least eight people were injured during a shooting at a house party. The shooting, which followed an altercation, happened around 12:30 a.m. during a party at a short-term rental property where hundreds of people had gathered — the “vast majority” of them underage, Chief Scott Schubert of the Pittsburgh police department told reporters.
The shootings on Sunday come just a day after gunfire erupted at a busy mall in the South Carolina state capital of Columbia, about 145 kilometres north of where Sunday’s nightclub shooting took place.
Nine people were shot and five people were injured while trying to flee the scene at Columbiana Centre, Columbia Police Chief W.H. “Skip” Holbrook said Saturday. The victims ranged in age from 15 to 73. None faced life-threatening injuries.
South Carolina residents age 21 or older can get a weapons permit, that as of last year, allows them to carry weapons openly or concealed. They have to have eight hours of gun training and pass a background check that includes fingerprinting.
The three Easter weekend mass shootings are in addition to other shootings in recent days. Last week, a gunman opened fire in a New York subway car, injuring 10 people.
