Police are responding to reports of a shooting in the New York village of Ellenville.

Three people were reported killed, and a fourth person was also injured, local police said during a press conference.

The incident was being treated as a murder-suicide.

Nearby schools were placed on lock down pending police activity Thursday morning, according to the Ulster County Sheriff's Department.

A police officer with the Ellenville Police Department had confirmed that officials were responding to "a shooting", but declined to comment further on the evolving situation.