One killed, three injured in Maryland shootings

Three people were shot in an incident at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda, Maryland, on May 6, 2016.

Three people have been shot and wounded at a mall in Bethesda, Maryland, a wealthy suburb outside the US capital of Washington, DC.

Two men and one woman were shot Friday in a parking lot at Westfield Montgomery mall, according to Montgomery County Police. The suspect is at large.

"We have no reason to believe the victims knew the suspect," Montgomery County Assistant Chief Darryl McSwain said. "But we are certainly looking at all angles."

Another shooting took place earlier in the day in Montgomery County, in the Aspen Hill Shopping Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, about 8 miles (13 km) to the northeast of the mall.

One person was killed in that shooting. Police believe that the same man is responsible for both shootings, and they are currently actively working to arrest him.

A woman was walking towards the mall when a man approached her and asked where she was going, one witness said. When the woman didn't answer, the suspect reached into his car, pulled out a gun and started shooting.

The woman was shot in the shoulder, and two men who were not involved in the initial confrontation also were wounded, the witness said. The witness said one of the men appeared to be seriously injured.

The Westfield Montgomery mall is a large and popular shopping destination for the residents of Montgomery County and suburban Washington.

An editorial in The New York Times published in December described America’s gun violence as “a moral outrage and national disgrace.”

This is while the US Constitution's Second Amendment protects the right to bear arms. Gun-rights groups, including the NRA gun lobby, argue that restrictions on gun purchases would not improve public safety.