At least nine people were wounded – none critically – in a shooting outside a Cincinnati bar early Sunday, police there said.

Most of the victims suffered wounds to their lower halves, Lt. Col. Mike John of the Cincinnati police told news outlets. A police officer fired at a suspect who fled the scene, but it was unclear if that person was actually shot. The suspect was not in custody as of Sunday morning.

“It is a little unusual when we do not know for certainty whether the individual the officer fired on was struck or not,” John said.

John said police used what he called two “bang balls” – a “percussion instrument” with a “very loud noise” – to disperse a crowd they said had gathered around officers trying to provide aid to the wounded.

The shooting took place shortly before 2 a.m. outside Mr. Pitiful’s bar in the Ohio city’s Over-the-Rhine district, a popular nightlife area. Another shooting in the neighboring Central Business District left two wounded soon after, but John said it was too early to tell whether there was a connection.