NEW YORK (REUTERS) - Emergency services in Syracuse, New York said on Thursday (Sept 20) 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 9 pm 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 9:15 pm.

The website said that at least 10 shots had been fired in the shooting in downtown Syracuse, about 400 km north-west of New York City.

Witnesses said they saw two or three possible shooters, reported Syracuse.com. One witness counted at least 10 shots near the house.

As a woman talked to a reporter, she counted off how many victims she knew, said Syracuse.com.

"My daughter, my nephew, my friend, my niece and my other niece," she said, crying.