Nine people, including two children, shot in Washington as violence mars July 4

It was unclear if there was more than one gunman in the SUV and no arrests had been made, said police, who appealed to the public for information to help in their investigation

Meade Street is seen after multiple people were shot in Washington (Luis Urbina/WJLA-TV/AP)

Nine people enjoying Independence Day festivities in the United States’ capital were shot and hurt, police said, as a spate of violence marred the holiday.

Officers responding at about 1am on Wednesday to the mass shooting in a neighbourhood about 20 minutes east of the White House found a 10-year-old and 17-year-old among the victims, Metropolitan Police Department assistant chief Leslie Parsons said.