Police hunt suspected gunman after four people shot dead in Ohio neighborhood

Four people have been shot dead, including a mother and her daughter, in a small town in Ohio.

Police were called to reports of a shooting in Butler Township, just north of Dayton, just before midday on Friday, Butler Township police chief John Porter said during a news conference on Friday.

They found the bodies of four victims at multiple locations, Mr Porter said.

Police are searching for Steven Alexander Marlow, 39, in connection with the homicides.

He is described as 5’11” (180cms), 160 pounds (72kgs), with brown hair, blue eyes, and possibly driving a 2007 white Ford Edge with the license plate JES 9806.

He was last seen wearing shorts and a yellow shirt.

“If anyone sees Marlow or the vehicle they should call 911 immediately as he is likely to be armed and dangerous,” Mr Porter told reporters.

“This is the first violent crime in this neighbourhood in recent memory.”

A man told WHIO that his daughter and granddaughter were among the victims.

There was a large police presence at the scene of the shootings on Friday afternoon.

WHIO reported that police had sealed two houses on Hardwicke Place with crime scene tape.

Butler Township is a town of just under 8,000 residents about eight miles north of Dayton.