Six people were killed and 10 injured in an early-morning shooting on a Sacramento, California, street busy with revellers, and police said they were still searching for suspects with no one in custody.

“We are asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspects in this and provide any information they can to help us solve this,” Sacramento police chief Kathy Lester told reporters.

The shooting occurred around 2am, Lester said, near the Golden 1 Centre, an arena where the Sacramento Kings basketball team plays and concerts take place.

Several blocks were cordoned off by officers and dotted with blue and red plastic cones that marked evidence. The police released no details on the ages or identities of the victims.

Family members waited outside the police lines seeking news about missing loved ones. Among them was Pamela Harris, who said her daughter had called her at 2.15am to say that her 38-year-old son, Sergio, had been shot and killed outside a nightclub.

“She said he was dead. I just collapsed,” Harris said. She said she was still waiting for official confirmation from the police, adding: “I cannot leave here now until I know what’s going on. I’m not going anywhere. It seems like a dream.”