US: South Carolina's Charleston on high alert after cops report 'active shooter situation'
No news of deaths of injuries reported yet
Dozens of police officers are rushing to downtown Charleston, South Carolina, after police reported a possible "active shooter situation" near a stretch of restaurants and shops popular with tourists.
The shooting was reported just after noon on King Street, Police spokesman Charles Francis said in a statement. He did not say whether they were any injuries or give any description of a suspect.
Tom and Patsy Plant told The Post and Courier of Charleston they were eating at Virginia's restaurant and saw a man come out of the kitchen with a gun in his hand who said, "There's a new boss in town."
The man looked like "an ordinary grandpa, but he had a crazy look," the couple said. They were able to escape out a back door.
Charleston Police sent SWAT teams and a bomb disposal unit to the area. Authorities instructed people inside to stay inside and those outside to leave the area.
The site is a few blocks away from Emanuel AME church, where nine black members of a church were killed by a white man during a June 2015 Bible study. Dylann Roof was sentenced to death in the case.
More to follow