Washington, Nov 16 (IANS): Six teenagers were injured during a shooting incident at a park in Aurora in the US state of Colorado, police said.

The shooting occurred at noon on Monday at Nome Park, which is near Aurora Central High School, Xinhua news agency quoted the Aurora Police Department as saying.

A total of five people, aged 14 to 17, were transported to the hospital after the shooting, said the Aurora Police Department initially in a tweet.

About two hours later, police said in another tweet that an 18-year-old self-transported to the hospital with minor injuries.

The department said the incident did not happen inside of the school but just north at Nome Park.

Police initially tweeted that the high school was on lockdown but later switched to say the school was only on a secure perimeter.

All six victims are students at Aurora Central High School.

"I want to thank the school resource officers who were among the first on the scene and provided life-saving measures," Aurora Police Chief Vanessa Wilson was quoted as saying by the news outlet, adding that the injuries may be non-life threatening but that one student was undergoing emergency surgery.

The police chief called the event "a public health crisis" and "we need to find a way to get through to our kids".

Police said the suspect, who is no longer on scene, is still unknown.