U.S. fitness center shooting leaves four dead

Several people have been left dead and others injured following a shooting at a fitness center in Pittsburgh in the United States. Witnesses told WTAE Channel 4 Action News that a gunman entered an aerobics center and turned off the lights before opening fire. Early reports suggested at least four people were killed in the incident including the gunman. More than a dozen others are said to be injured.

The shooting happened at around 8:16 pm local time on Tuesday [0:16 GMT Wednesday] August 4, in the Collier Township near Pittsburgh in the United States, around 600 km west of New York. Within an hour the entire shopping center in which the gym is located was shut down. Reporters at the scene said as many as 15 ambulances and 20 police cars attended the incident. Several people sustained serious injuries and one local hospital said 5 women were being treated with multiple shotgun wounds.

One member of the LA Fitness center told of her panic as the gunman opened fire. The woman who gave only the name Nicole said that a middle-aged white male with a gym bag entered her Latin dance class before turning off the lights and opening fire. "It was horrible," she said. "He was only about 20 feet away from me," Nicole told WTAE-TV, "I'm not sure if he had two guns but I saw one and there was a lot of gunfire."

She said there was "uproar" as people made their escape. She also spoke of making her escape after jumping into a stranger's car [CNN].