Emergency services in Syracuse, New York said on Thursday they were responding to reports of a shooting of up to seven people, including children.

The Syracuse Firefighters union reported seven victims from the shooting on the city's Midland Avenue, according to a Facebook post.

A spokesman for the Syracuse Police Department said no other information was immediately available on the incident, which took place shortly after 9pm eastern time.

News website Syracuse.com reported that the shooting took place at a family gathering to mark the death of a person who died of cancer earlier on Thursday.

The website said ambulances were seen driving away from the scene with a police escort at about 9.15pm.

The website said that at least 10 shots had been fired in the shooting in downtown Syracuse, about 402 km northwest of New York City.

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