Los Angeles, Apr 2 (IANS): A nine-year-old boy was among the four victims killed during a mass shooting in California's Orange County, authorities said.

The boy was one of the two victims found by police officers in the courtyard area of a business complex in the city of Orange where the mass shooting took place on Wednesday evening, Xinhua news agency quoted the Orange Police Department as saying on Thursday.

The Department said in a release posted on its Facebook page that an adult female who had also been shot was found with the boy.

Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer told reporters on Thursday that the boy died in the arms of his wounded mother who was trying to save him during the bloodshed.

The Orange Police Department said it received multiple reports of shots in the city at approximately 5.30 p.m.

Officers were unable to enter the courtyard of the business complex initially because the gates were locked from the inside by the suspect with a bicycle-type cable lock.

Authorities said that two officers engaged the suspect from the outside of the gates and an officer-involved shooting occurred.

Upon entry, officers located the suspect who was injured and taken into custody.

The female victim and the suspect were transported to a local hospital where they both remain in critical but stable condition.

Officers quickly began a systematic search of the complex and located three deceased victims, including two adult women and one adult man.

Police said that the suspect has been identified as 44-year-old Aminadab Gaxiola Gonzalez with a last known address in Fullerton, a city located in northern Orange County.

Investigators recovered several items at the scene including a semi-automatic handgun and a backpack containing pepper spray, handcuffs and ammunition which are believed to belong to the suspect, according to the police.

Wednesday incident were the latest mass shooting in the last two weeks.

On March 22, 10 people, including one police officer, were killed in a mass shooting at a supermarket in Boulder, Colorado.

On March 16, a series of mass shootings occurred at three spas or massage parlours in the metropolitan area of Atlanta, Georgia, which killed eight people including six Asian women.