At least six people were shot and killed in Michigan on Saturday night in a series of apparently random shootings, according to media reports.

NBC News, citing officials at the sheriff's office, said six people had been killed and three others wounded in shootings in and around Kalamazoo County.

"We seem to be dealing with a worst-case scenario, someone driving around shooting," NBC quoted Kalamazoo County Undersheriff Paul Matyas as saying.

Local media reported that four people were shot dead at a Cracker Barrel restaurant in Texas Township and two more died at a Seelye Kia dealership, in Kalamazoo.

Matyas said police were first called to a Kalamazoo County apartment building where a woman was shot multiple times and was later listed in serious condition.

Hours later, they were called to the car dealership where two people were shot and killed, and a third wounded.

Four people were killed at a third shooting scene in the Cracker Barrel parking lot, where the gunman opened fire on people in their cars after a brief conversation. A fifth person was critically wounded, Matyas said.

The victims and shooting scenes appeared to have no link apart from the suspect, who witnesses said was a male, aged about 50, driving an SUV. Police said he was still at large. No motive for the seemingly random shootings had been determined.

Authorities could not be reached to verify the reports independently, but confirmed the number of deaths in interviews with news media posted on their web sites.

The victims' identities were not released, but local media said one fatality was an eight-year-old boy. - Reuters