Five people, including an off-duty police officer, were killed in a shooting on Thursday in Raleigh, the capital of the southern US state of North Carolina.

"This is a sad and tragic day for the city of Raleigh. Just after 5:00 pm today, multiple people were shot," Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin told a press conference.

According to Baldwin, one of them was an off-duty Raleigh police officer. At least two other people including a police officer were wounded and taken to hospital, the mayor said.

"We must stop this mindless violence in America," Baldwin said.

Suspect is a white juvenile male

The shooting broke out at or near the Neuse River Greenway, a trail that runs through part of the city. About three hours later police had a suspect "contained in a residence," Baldwin said.

According to Raleigh Police Lt. Jason Borne, the shooter was taken into custody around 9:37 p.m., hours after the shooting.

The suspect is a white juvenile male, the police said. He had a long gun (a firearm designed to be operated using both hands, such as a rifle or shotgun), ABC News affiliate WTVD reported.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said he spoke to Baldwin and was deploying state resources to assist at the scene.