Three wounded in Santa Monica College school shooting

THREE people have been wounded after being shot near a Califoia community college campus.

The shooting is said to have happened at Santa Monica College shortly after noon. It was unclear how many shots were fired or exactly where.

Reports suggest the three victims were shot in a car near or on the campus.

The three shooting victims were taken to Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Centre - two in critical condition and one in serious condition, according to the hospital.

At least one body was also found inside a house that was fired on by the suspect, according to Santa Monica police. The structure caught fire as a result of the gunfire.

An alleged gunman was apparently taken into custody but the campus is still in lockdown mode with some students still trapped inside.

Students in lockdown on Santa Monica College campus have tweeted photos of their situation. Picture: Twitter @aizoz

Sgt. Denise Joslin of CHP’s Southe Division said police were being cautious and working on the assumption that there is still a second suspect on the loose.

“We do have reports that there is one suspect in custody; however, after that suspect was taken into custody, we continued to receive additional reports of shots fired in the area … there is still a search going on in the area for a possible second suspect or additional suspects,” she said.

A 30-year-old student at the college who said her name is Marta told NBC Los Angeles that she was on a bus that was stopped at a red light when the gunman stepped out from the passenger side of a car and fired five or six shots at the bus.

"This guy just steps out with a big rifle and starts shooting," she told the station. A woman in the back of the bus was bleeding from the head, she said.

ABC7 television reported that the alleged shooter was injured. A Califoia Highway Patrol spokeswoman told KCAL9 television that it initially received reports of a suspect opening fire at a bus nearby.

US President Barack Obama, on his way to a desert summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping, was in Santa Monica speaking at a Democratic fundraiser about five kilometres from the scene of the reported shooting.

Secret Service spokesman Edwin M. Donovan told a pool reporter traveling with Mr Obama: "We are aware of the incident and it is not impacting the visit. It's a local police matter at this point."

Santa Monica police Sgt. Rudy Flores says numerous witness called to report a man on a street coer shooting at vehicles including a bus.

Santa Monica College is a two-year college with about 34,000 students. The campus in the coastal Los Angeles suburb spreads out over 15 hectares.