At least four people were killed and dozens injured in the state Alabamain the American South, when an exchange of fire broke out, police announced today.

“We believe that several gunmen opened fire on people” in the Birmingham neighborhood last Saturday night, Truman Fitzgerald, a police officer, told US media.

Three adults, two men and a woman, were found on a sidewalk, mortally wounded by bullets, while the fourth victim succumbed to a hospital where he was treated, the officer added.

Dozens of other people were injured in the shooting and four of them are in a serious condition, according to Mr Fitzgerald.

Police have not made any arrests at this stage, he continued, appealing for witnesses to come forward to help with the ongoing investigation, as well as companies in the area to provide them with CCTV footage.

Police and fire services were deployed to the scene and the area was cordoned off.

The US, with more guns than residents, has the highest rate of gun deaths of any developed country in the world.

Gun assaults are an ever-recurring scourge in the country, as one administration after another fails to take effective action on the phenomenon, the power of the gun lobby remains enormous, and many Americans don’t even want to hear about restrictions, let alone part with their weapons.