Six people were slain in a gang-related shooting at a California residence, including a 17-year-old woman and her 6-month-old child, and two suspects are on the run.

The Tulare County Sheriff's Office reported that US police reacted to the incident around 3.30 a.m. local time on Monday after receiving reports of many rounds fired at a property in Goshen, just east of Visalia.

Sheriff Mike Boudreaux told reporters that based on the number of shots being fired, it was reported that an active shooter was in the neighbourhood.

Boudreaux stated that deputies discovered two deceased victims in the street and a third victim fatally shot in the residence's entryway.

He stated that three more victims were discovered inside the residence, including a man who was still alive but died in the hospital.

"We do have family members who have been escorted from the scene, and we do have survivors," Boudreaux was quoted as saying by CNN, adding that investigators had yet to ascertain how they survived the "horrific massacre" he described.

Investigators are hunting for at least two suspects, according to the sheriff. They suspect there is a connection between the murders and a gang. Last week, the sheriff's office executed a search warrant for narcotics at the residence, according to Boudreaux.

"We also believe that this was not an act of random brutality. We feel this family was a target," he said.

About 3000 people reside in the semi-rural town of Goshen, located 56 kilometres southeast of Fresno in the agricultural San Joaquin Valley.