Shooting?in the southern US state of North Carolina left five people, including an off-duty police officer dead on Thursday, the local mayor told journalists.

"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.

The Raleigh Police Department "has confirmed five fatalities. One of them was an off-duty Raleigh Police officer," she said, adding that the shooter had been "contained."