Police say there is no indication at this point of any kind of incident in the night district that preceded the mass shooting.

Police said preliminary information on Sunday indicates someone opened fire towards a group of people in the Warehouse District shortly before 2:30am (06:30 GMT) as the clubs were closing. The suspect then fled the scene.

Cleveland Police Chief Wayne Drummond said seven men and two women between the ages of 23 and 38 were struck by gunfire. One of the men was seriously wounded while injuries to the others were minor, he said.

Drummond said the shooter elected to fire into a crowd despite the visible presence of police officers, and even adding “2,000 more officers” wouldn’t have stopped what happened.

No arrests were immediately reported. A suspect was being sought and investigators were looking for surveillance video from cameras in the area.

Police said there was no indication at this point of any kind of incident in any of the clubs that preceded the gunfire.

Police asked anyone with information about the shooting to contact them.

Mayor Justin Bibb called it a “tragic and sad day” that “truly shows the massive gun problem we have, not just in Cleveland, not just in Ohio, but across this nation”. Bibb called on state and US legislators to give city leaders more tools to crack down on the proliferation of firearms.

“I am sick and tired of getting these calls late at night,” he said. “I am sick and tired of hearing from our residents and victims of gun violence, and Republicans blaming us as mayors for violent crime. We need their help.”