4 people wounded in South Los Angeles shooting

Four people were wounded in a shooting in South Los Angeles in the US state of California on Tuesday, police say.

The shooting occurred just before 6 p.m. local time, according to Officer Christopher No of the Los Angeles Police Department.

The four victims were between the ages of 40 and 50, LAPD officials said. The shooter fled the scene.

One victim was shot in the leg. Further information on the conditions of the victims was not immediately released.

In a separate shooting on Tuesday, a student opened fire in a school in the southeastern New Mexico City of Roswell, injuring 2 students.

The shooting happened in the Berrendo Middle School’s gym, where the gunman shot a 14-year-old boy twice in the face and a 13-year-old girl in the arm. The victims were rushed to a local hospital both in critical conditions.

Gun violence has become a national debate in the US with gun control advocates accusing gun manufactures, dealers and corrupt officials for a spike in gun-related violence.

Many critics blame the notoriously liberal gun control laws in the US for the high rate of gun violence in the country.

A recent poll found that an estimated 40 percent of households in the United States have at least one gun owner.

A scientific study published by the American Journal of Medicine in September found that the rate of gun violence is positively correlated with gun ownership rates.