Police in Detroit, in the northern United States, launched a major manhunt on Sunday after four people were “randomly” targeted by gunfire that led to the death of three of them, authorities said.
James White, the Michigan city’s police chief, told media that the first three victims – two women and a man – were shot at different locations in the city in the early hours of the morning.
After seeing the suspect scanning the interior of cars, a fourth man asked him to stop before being targeted in turn by a shot, explained the policeman.
Three of the victims died and one survived, police told local media.
Photographs of the suspect have been released and authorities have called on anyone who recognizes him to contact police.
The shootings appear to have been carried out “completely at random”, the police chief said during a press conference.
One victim was “waiting for the bus, another was walking her dog and another was just in the street”, he described.
Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan said at a press conference that officers were “scrutinizing several square miles […]while waiting for the individual to resurface”.
“This man has already shot four people today,” he warned.
The United States is regularly hit by shootings as parliamentarians balk at passing gun control legislation, despite being acclaimed by most Americans.