Three people were shot and killed in a targeted, daytime attack in Atlanta, police said.

  Officers responded to a call reporting that someone had been shot in the city's West End neighbourhood around 1:30 pm (local time) on Saturday, police said in a news release. 

A preliminary investigation indicates a man approached two people and opened fire, and one of those people returned fire. All three were shot and died from their injuries, police said.

The shooting took place near a mall. 

Investigators were working to determine a motive, police said. They did not release additional information. 

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