Three dead, 3 wounded in early morning shooting in Ohio's capital Columbus

Three people died and three others were wounded in an early morning shooting in Ohio's capital over the weekend, authorities said.

Columbus police said the shooting was reported shortly before 3 am Saturday in the Italian Village neighbourhood north of downtown, with what may have been semi-automatic or automatic gunfire and cars taking off.

Deputy Chief Gregory Bodker told reporters that officers arriving two minutes later found a very chaotic scene with six people shot. Two men were pronounced dead at the scene, and a third man died at a hospital, police said. They were identified later Saturday as 27-year-old Malachi Pee, 26-year-old Garcia Dixon Jr. and 18-year-old Da'ondre Bullock.

Three other people were taken to hospitals, where one was in critical condition and two others were stable, Bodker said. Police said all were expected to survive.

Investigators are talking to several witnesses who were cooperating, Bodker said. There is a bar on the corner nearby, but it wasn't immediately known whether anyone involved had been a patron of the establishment, he said.

No suspects were immediately identified. The motive for the shooting wasn't immediately known, and it was unclear how many people were involved, Bodker said. The Franklin County sheriff's office was using a drone to help document the large crime scene, where police were collecting evidence and video.