Memorial Day Shooting as Seven People Gunned Down at Ohio Party

Seven people, including two juveniles, were gunned down in Ohio after "50 or 60" teenagers gathered in cars to spin "donuts" in a residential area early Monday morning, according to local law enforcement.

Shots rang out just minutes into Memorial Day after masked gunmen opened fire shortly after midnight in Columbus, Ohio, police told news station WBNS-10TV. The incident happened in the 4800 block of Pintail Creek Drive near Gender Road in the southeast of the state's capital city.

The shooting comes amid a spate of gun crime that has recently stoked a fierce national debate about gun control. Democrats have long pushed for more restrictions on purchasing guns, saying lax gun laws are responsible for the high number of shootings across the country. Republicans, meanwhile, generally oppose gun control, saying it would infringe on the constitutional right to own firearms. In addition, the country's high gun violence rate has led to multiple countries issuing travel warnings to its citizens who are considering visiting the United States.

The Columbus Police Department is now investigating Monday's shooting. The two juveniles were shot while the other five victims were grazed by bullets. The names, ages, and conditions of the victims has not yet been released, but it's believed none of their wounds are life-threatening. All seven victims were hospitalized as a result of their injuries, with most reportedly transporting themselves to the hospital.

Reporter Kevin Landers of WBNS-10TV tweeted pictures from the scene early Monday morning apparently showing how a bullet had made a hole through a car window and shattered what remained of the glass. When daylight broke, Landers posted a video to Twitter that showed numerous circular tire tracks and skid marks burned into the road. Officers reportedly found multiple shell casings at the scene.

A description of the suspects has not yet been released by police.

An unidentified resident, who said several neighbors told her what they had witnessed, spoke to WBNS-10TV: "There was about 50 to 60 people out there with, I want to say, 15 cars of people. All hanging out their windows and stuff, everyone's taking turns doing donuts on the cul-de-sac, yelling and screaming. None of those people, I guarantee you, were from our complex. I don't know where they came from, but they weren't from here."

The neighbor added that she has lived in the complex for several years and that there has never been any type of trouble before.

Meanwhile, Monday morning's shooting is not the first to have blighted the Memorial Day weekend. On Saturday, at least three people were killed and five others were injured at a motorcycle rally in New Mexico as bikers gathered to mark the holiday.

Newsweek has reached out to Columbus Police by email for further information and comment.