12 wounded in shooting near US festival - police

A shootout near a community festival in Toledo, Ohio left at least 12 people wounded by gunfire, with no suspects in custody, police said.

Authorities were combing the area searching for suspects, interviewing witnesses and examining cellphone video after at least two people were believed to have exchanged shots near the Old West End Festival.

"Twelve people were struck with bullets... two of them critical," Toledo Deputy Police Chief Joseph Heffernan told reporters, adding that no suspects were in custody yet.

He said it appeared there were at least two shooters involved, and that they were "probably shooting at each other."

An active search was underway, and authorities were pleading with members of the community to come forward with any information that could help lead them to the shooters.

Police Lieutenant Dan Gerken said the average age of the victims was roughly in the early twenties.

He expressed alarm at the scale of the violence.

"So, 12 people being shot, that's the most -- I've been to a lot of scenes, but this was way over the top," Mr Gerken said.

The Old West End Festival is a popular annual gathering of live music, block parties and home tours in a historic Toledo district. The gathering had a substantial police presence at the time of the shooting, officers said.

Firearms are abundant in the United States and thousands of people across the country die of gunshot wounds each year.