Three people were shot in Atlanta's Midtown area Monday afternoon, according to police who announced that the shooter is on the loose.

The Atlanta Police Department advised residents to avoid the Midtown area streets while officers investigated.

The victims' conditions were unknown, and the police department's information was described as "preliminary".

Midtown High School, about a mile from Colony Square, was placed on lockdown as police searched for the shooter, according to local news station 11 Alive.

Gun violence in the US has become the main cause of death among the youth in the US, with the majority of gun-related incidents concentrated in schools across the country.

Gun violence becomes the main cause of death among youth in the #US, as successive administrations struggle to curb the problem that has been haunting the #American people.#GunViolence pic.twitter.com/FH2JnWiJMY

— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) April 24, 2022

The number of school shootings in the United States has been exponentially rising as of late, surging to reach 193 documented incidents during the last academic year. These crimes have left 59 people dead and scores wounded, advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety has lately said in a report.

The report also revealed that a total of 62 incidents were recorded in the 2020-2021 school year.

The latest school mass shooting to shake the United States took place in late May when an 18-year-old boy carried out a shooting that claimed the lives of at least 21 people at an elementary school in Texas. He used two weapons, which include an AR15-style automatic rifle.

Meanwhile, the recent spree of tragic shootings in the US has pushed guns to the forefront of a national debate as US leaders grapple with how to reduce the alarming rate of violence.