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A gunman opened fire in a US shopping mall packed with Christmas Eve shoppers.

Witnesses say the gunman fired seven shots at the Northlake Mall in Charlotte, North Carolina, at around 2pm local time (7pm UK time) this afternoon.

An off-duty police officer shot the gunman shortly after the chaos unfolded he was pronounced dead at the scene by medics.

It is believed at least one other person was injured in the shooting.

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(Image: @DeidraParrish/Twitter)

A police statement said an argument broke out between two groups of people before shots were fired and that the incident was no longer an "active shooter situation".

A spokesman for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department said: "There was one armed subject that was shot during the altercation and he was pronounced deceased on scene by Medic.

"No officers were injured during this shooting."

The gunman was seen lying motionless on the floor of a nearby shoe store following the incident.

Panicked shoppers were seen rushing out of the mall in fear after shots were fire near an Apple Store inside the complex.

Jeff Keith, deputy director of the Mecklenburg Emergency Medical Services Agency, said: "With all the things that have occurred in this country in the past couple of years, we want to assure people that this is an isolated, specific event, not of any random nature."

Witness Caryl Santos told the Charlotte Observer: "I had no idea what to do so I grabbed my mom, dropped my stuff and ran out of the store."

At least one person suffered gunshot wounds after being shot in the leg.

One pregnant woman went into labour after shooting broke out and one other person is believed to have suffered an asthma attack.