Indianapolis, Indiana – Seven young individuals aged between 12 and 17 suffered gunshot wounds during a shooting incident outside a downtown shopping mall in Indianapolis on Saturday night, according to authorities.

The incident unfolded late into the night when police officers on patrol near the Circle Centre Mall reported hearing gunshots around 11:30 p.m., as stated by Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department Deputy Chief Tanya Terry.

Upon arriving at the scene, law enforcement officers discovered a significant number of juveniles, six of whom had been shot and were subsequently rushed to nearby hospitals, Terry confirmed during an early Sunday morning news briefing.

Terry disclosed that one of the victims had been upgraded from critical to stable condition, while the others were listed as stable. Gender details of the victims were not immediately available, she mentioned.

Another juvenile with a gunshot injury had independently arrived at a hospital and was also reported to be in stable condition, Terry added.

Expressing concern over the recurring trend of youth turning to firearms to address conflicts, Terry emphasized the need to end such behavior, emphasizing the eternal consequences that follow such actions.

Investigations pointed to the use of multiple firearms during the shooting incident, Terry noted, although no arrests had been made nor were there any identified suspects at the time of the statement.

The lack of apprehensions coupled with the absence of suspects pointed to a challenging investigative process for authorities, leaving the community on edge as they awaited further updates on the incident.