Teenager Killed in Shooting Near New York's Syracuse University Campus

One teenager was killed and another wounded two miles from the campus of Syracuse University in New York state, the local news website Syracuse.com reported in the early hours of Thursday, citing police.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – The shooting incident took place on Wednesday evening. The shooter opened fire at police detectives who responded to reports of gunfire. They found a 15-year old critically wounded on the back porch of the house, and a 17-year-old inside the house with a gunshot wound to his leg. The former died at the scene.

The University’s Department of Public Safety issued an Orange Alert at 8:30 p.m. local time asking students to stay indoors and keep away from the Oakwood Cemetery, to where the suspect reportedly had fled.

The University authority released a statement saying that, "Though this incident did not happen on campus and did not involve anyone from the University, we took an abundance of caution this evening as the safety and well-being of all members of our campus community remains our top priority."

Over the past year, the United States has seen a growing number of mass shooting incidents, including three school shootings in October. In other cases, shooters have opened fire in churches, movie theaters, and military facilities.

Following a fatal shooting in Roseburg, Oregon in early October, US President Barack Obama called on Congress to change the country’s gun laws, and urged Americans to pay more attention to presidential candidates’ positions on gun control.