Amy Schumer says her 'heart is broken' by murders at Trainwreck screening in Louisiana

Three people died and seven more were injured in Lafayette, Louisiana

Amy Schumer sent her thoughts and prayers to Louisiana (Getty Images)

Amy Schumer has said her "heart is broken" after two people were shot dead in a cinema as they watched her latest film in the US.

They were among around 100 people watching Trainwreck at The Grand Theatre in Lafayette, Louisiana, when a gunman opened fire last night.

At least seven people were injured before he killed himself.

As news broke of the shooting, Schumer wrote on Twitter: "My heart is broken and all my thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Louisiana."

Trainwreck, which has been largely well-received by critics, is a romantic comedy following the story of Schumer's character, also called Amy, as she follows her father's advice against monogamy.

Schumer wrote and stars in the film, which is her first major lead role.

A cinema-goer said she thought the noise of gunshots were firecrackers when they first went off at 7.30pm local time.

“We heard a loud pop we thought was a firecracker,” Katie Domingue told the Louisiana Advertiser.

Cinema-goers were evacuated after the shooting (AP)

She said she saw “an older white man” standing up and shooting down into the cinema, but not in her direction.

“He wasn't saying anything. I didn't hear anybody screaming either,” she added.

The gunman, described by police as a 58-year-old “lone white male,” fired his handgun “numerous times” before killing himself.

Police said they know his identity but are not yet releasing it.

The shooting came almost exactly three years after James Holmes opened fire at a screening of Batman film The Dark Knight Rises at a cinema in Denver, killing 12 people and injuring 70 others.

A jury convicted him on 165 counts of murder, attempted murder and other charges last week, rejecting claims that he was insane and suffering delusions that drove him to the attack.

Additional reporting by AP