A gunman sprayed bullets into a crowd Tuesday night, Washington Police Chief Cathy Lanier said.

The shootings of six men and three women happened around 7:30 p.m. in the southeastern part of the city, said Police Department spokesman Officer Hugh Carew. Fire Department spokesman Pete Piringer said all the victims were in their 20s and 30s, except for one teenager.

One died at the scene, one was dead on arrival at the hospital, and the third died in an operating room, said Carolyn Hammond, spokeswoman for Washington Hospital Center. She said a fourth person was in critical condition late Tuesday.

Three people were arrested and a weapon was recovered, according to police, who said they didn't know what motivated the attack. The Washington Post reported that police pursued a van from the scene, aided by a helicopter.

Four Washington officers were slightly injured while chasing a suspect's vehicle into neighboring Prince George's County in Maryland, authorities said.

The neighborhood is near a water treatment plant and the US Bolling Air Force Base. Sections of southeastern Washington have problems with crime, though surprised neighbors told local media that the area was not a bad place to live and wasn't dangerous.

Washington reported 143 homicides last year, the fewest in nearly 50 years.