WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — Police were responding to a shooting in downtown Washington on Thursday as a local official said “multiple people” were shot at a fitness centre.

The Washington police department said on X that its emergency response team was on the scene of an “active shooting” in the upscale Logan Circle area of the nation’s capital.

Police later said the incident had created a “barricade situation” and urged residents to avoid the area, about a mile north of the White House.

Brooke Pinto, a member of the DC City Council, said the shooting, which took place during the busy morning rush hour and sparked a massive police response, occurred at and outside a fitness centre and “multiple people” had been shot.

The Washington Post quoted police as saying that at least five people had been injured.

Multiple law enforcement agencies could be seen at the scene of the shooting and police helicopters were hovering over the area.

Some residents were being evacuated from the area by police while others were being urged to shelter in place.

The Washington Sun quoted a member of the VIDA Fitness gym as saying that he was on a treadmill at the workout facility when the shooting began.

Michael Carney said he heard a “pop” and then saw someone on the gym floor who had been shot in the head.

“Everyone was kind of just hiding behind planters and stuff,” Carney told The Sun.