Five people including an off-duty police officer have been shot dead with several injured in Raleigh, North Carolina, officials say.

Police say a suspect has been arrested.

The shooting occurred near the Neuse River Greenway, a popular trail on the outskirts of the state capital, the city’s mayor said.

A motive is yet to be established, but Raleigh Police Lieutenant Jason Borneo said it would probably “come to bear” in the coming days.

“Tonight, terror has reached our doorstep. The nightmare of every community has come to Raleigh,” North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper told a news conference.

The shooting broke out just after 17:00 local time.

Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin later reported that the gunman was being “contained in a residence in the area” by police.

Raleigh police then tweeted that the suspect had been taken into custody.

The gunman, a “white male juvenile”, was taken into custody, Mr Borneo said.

At least two other people including another police officer were wounded and taken to hospital, the mayor said.

One victim remains in a critical condition in hospital, Lieutenant Borneo added.

Mass shootings are a consistent problem in the US.

More than 34,000 people have died in shootings in the US in 2022, more than half of which were from suicide, according to the Gun Violence Archive website.

“We must stop this mindless violence in America. We must address gun violence. We have much to do, and tonight we have much to mourn,” Governor Cooper said.