Youngstown: At least three people were killed and three others wounded in a shooting on Sunday outside a bar in Youngstown, Ohio, police said.

Chief Carl Davis of the Youngstown police department said gunfire was reported shortly after 2am in the area of the Torch Club Bar & Grille in Youngstown.

Davis said three people were dead of apparent gunshot wounds and at least three others were wounded, one in critical condition.

None of the shootings occurred in the bar but they stemmed from an incident which began there, he said.

Arriving officers rendered first aid to victims near the establishment and officers from nearby departments were called in to help due to the large crowds in what he called a chaotic and tragic event.

Authorities said no one was in custody but they were talking to several individuals. Police declined comment on how many weapons were used or other details.

Police were processing evidence from two shooting scenes near the bar as well as a traffic accident reported at about the same time. It wasn’t immediately clear what relation the accident had to the shooting.

WKBN-TV reported dozens of casings in front of the bar as well as in a parking lot two doors down, where a house was also struck by gunfire. Mayor Jamael Tito Brown said that, as a father of four, unnecessary violence involving young people just continues to pull at my heart.” It is not easy for me to get the call in the middle of the night from the chief or one of his team to tell me about incidents like this, and it pains me,” he said.In another incident, a family house party in South Jersey turned into a crime scene where at least two people were fatally shot and 12 others were wounded.

Authorities arrived at the house in Fairfield Township, about an hour outside of Philadelphia, late on Saturday night. A resident who runs a local anti-violence organisation said he was called out to assist families at the 90s-themed party. John Fuqua, of Life Worth Living, said guests who attended the party were of all ages.

New Jersey State police said a 30-year-old man and 25-year-old-woman were fatally shot. There were 12 other people who were injured and transported to local hospitals.

No arrests have been made.

Photos show overturned pop-up party tents, tables and chairs, and debris throughout the home’s yard. A long driveway was still filled with cars late Sunday morning.

Published in Dawn, May 24th, 2021