Eight wounded by gunfire near Milwaukee, United States

Washington: Eight people were injured in a shooting attack Friday afternoon near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, according to local police, adding that the attacker was not arrested.

The shooting took place inside a supermarket, “Mayfair Mall” in Wauwatosa, a suburb of Milwaukee, the largest city in the state in the northern United States, according to the “Milwaukee Journal Sentinel” newspaper.

Wawatosa police said in a statement that “when rescue teams arrived, the shooter was not present at the scene of the incident,” emphasizing that the danger remains present and asking residents to stay away from the scene.

The ABC network quoted Wauwatosa Mayor Dennis McBride as saying the attacker was still “on the run.”

Authorities said “seven adults and one minor were taken to the hospital,” without being able to determine the severity of their injuries.

The police explained that the shooter, whose identity has not been disclosed, is a “white male in his twenties or thirties.”

Several employees took refuge inside the shopping center, according to videos circulating on social media showing them in hiding.

“We are grateful to the Wawatosa police and are cooperating with them in their investigations,” said the mall’s Facebook page, which was temporarily closed.

There were at least 40 security force vehicles at the scene, plus ambulances carrying many of the injured, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

The FBI announced on Twitter that it had also accessed the site.

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers wrote on Twitter: “Our thoughts go out to those injured in the Mayfair Mall shooting incident today.”

“Our thoughts are also with all customers and employees who have been affected by this violent act,” he added.

And Milwaukee police wrote on Twitter that they approached the scene along with Wawatosa police, in response to a “shooting” incident.

A shooting killed five people in February at a Milwaukee brewery.