One man was shot early Saturday near the Strip and police have identified three possible suspects in the shooting, authorities said.

At 1:07 a.m., officers on foot patrol heard gunshots and found one victim in the 500 block of South Illinois Avenue, according to a Carbondale police news release.

The victim, whose identity has not been released, suffered a non-life-threatening gunshot wound and was taken to Memorial Hospital of Carbondale where he is in stable condition, according to police.

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No details of the identity of the suspects had been released as of Saturday afternoon pending the active investigation.

At the scene, Carbondale Lt. Paul Edwards said he could not comment on how many shots were fired or if police were searching for a suspect because it “is too integral to the investigation.”

Scores of students could be seen standing on the Strip after the shooting occurred, watching as police cleared people off the street.

Camden Hurst, who is in town to visit a friend, said he heard six gunshots near the Strip.

“We got out of our car and heard, ‘pop, pop, pop, pop, pop, pop,'” he said during an interview near where police taped off the area.

Gallery • 9 Photos

First responders load a man into an ambulance following a shooting Saturday morning near the 500 block of South Illinois Avenue. (Ryan Michalesko | @photosbylesko)

Shortly after the gunfire, witnesses said they saw a car speeding north on South Illinois Avenue.

“I’m just down here visiting a buddy and this s— happens,” Hurst said. “I come to Carbondale for a good time and shootings happen. You know — it’s crazy out here.”

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Lizzie Harper said she was standing with friends near a business in the 500 block of South Illinois Avenue when the shots rang out.

They backed up against a wall and Harper phoned police as they waited for the gunfire to stop, she said.

Harper, a sophomore from Carbondale studying business, called the experience terrifying and said the gunfire came without warning.

“I’m from here, so I’ve never felt scared in Carbondale in my entire life until then, probably,” she said.

The shooting comes during a year when more people have been shot in Carbondale than any other year in the last 10, according to news reports and police data.

So far, at least 14 people have been shot in Carbondale this year, compared to one in all of last year and six in 2014.

This story will be updated as more information becomes available.

Anna Spoerre and Luke Nozicka contributed to this report. 

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