WASHINGTON - Four people were shot in a shooting Friday in Greenville, the US state of North Carolina, said local media.

Police sources said the shooting started just before noon. The gunman, armed with a shotgun, first shot a person in front of Kellum Law Firm and then shot three more people at a nearby Walmart, CBS affiliate WNCT reported.

Witnesses also recounted that a man with a rifle and a bullet- proof vest walked up and shot someone hiding behind a car.

The suspect, who later engaged in a gun fight with the police, was detained after sustaining gun shots. He is not identified.

The conditions of the victims were not immediately clear.