Five people shot in Seattle near anti-Trump protests

A gunman has shot and wounded five people in Seattle, Washington, near the site of a protest against the surprise victory of Donald Trump in the US presidential election.

The shooting, which took place on Wednesday evening following an argument, did not appear to be connected to the anti-Trump demonstrations, said Robert Merner, assistant chief of the Seattle Police Department.

“It appears that some type of argument took place. This individual began to walk away from the crowd, then turned and fired into the crowd,” Merner told reporters.

He said the suspect then fled from the area on foot and remained at large more than an hour later.

The shooting left one of the victims, a man, critically injured. He was rushed to nearby Harborview Medical Center.

The other four victims, identified only as three men and one woman, all sustained non-life threatening wounds to their legs, police said.

In Seattle, hundreds of protesters marched through the downtown streets. The Seattle Times newspaper reported that witnesses heard several gunshots.

On Wednesday, thousands of people rallied in cities across the US to protest against Trump’s presidential election victory, condemning his controversial campaign rhetoric against Muslims, immigrants, women and other groups.