Carolina, February 11: A gunman has been shot by police after taking several people hostage at a Wachovia branch bank in the city of Cary in the US state of North Carolina.
The man was shot as he emerged from the bank with a hostage, the Associated Press reported.
The hostage was unharmed. The gunman’s identity and condition remain unknown.
Customers were reportedly inside the bank when the gunman walked in wearing a purple shirt and red pants.
Local media reported that the suspect had spoken to authorities by phone but did not demand any money, although the crime is being treated as a bank robbery.
Two women were initially released from the bank, but five people, including the suspect, had remained inside more than two hours after the first call came in to police, CBS News reported.
No fatalities or injuries of the hostages have been reported, nor had the gunman fired any shots.
Police surrounded the area and had sealed off the streets leading to the bank.
People in nearby shops were ordered to stay inside and lock their doors.
“The whole shopping center is surrounded with cops,” Melissa Lopes, manager of a CVS Pharmacy next door to the bank, told AP.
“Everybody is locked in. Nobody can get in or get out,” she added.
Four local schools were also locked down for about two hours.
——-Agencies