Washington, Jul 18 (IANS): At least four people were shot outside the Nationals Park stadium in Washington D.C., leading to the suspension of a baseball game.

"A shooting has been reported outside of the Third Base Gate at Nationals Park," the Washington Nationals tweeted at 9.47 p.m. on Saturday night, adding that the fans were encouraged to exit the stadium.

The Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia (MPDC) said in a tweet shortly afterward that it was "responding to a shooting in the 1500 block of South Capitol Street, SW, in which two people were shot outside of Nationals Park. This is currently an active investigation and it appears there is no ongoing threat at this time", Xinhua news agency reported.

The MPDC said later in an update that two additional victims associated with the incident walked into area hospitals for treatment of gunshot wounds.

The game was eventually suspended as a result of the incident, police said.