GUNMEN in a green minivan opened fire on a group of teenagers waiting at a bus stop near a Detroit school on Tuesday, wounding at least seven, authorities said. Two were hospitalised in critical condition.

At least five of the teens, including the two in critical condition, had just gotten out of summer classes at Cody Ninth Grade Academy when they were shot at the nearby bus stop, said Detroit Public Schools Police Chief Roderick Grimes.

Two gunmen, possibly three, emerged from the green minivan and "asked for a person by name" before they opened fire, Detroit Police spokesman Rod Liggons told WXYZ-TV.

The students' names and ages weren't immediately released.

"We have confirmed the name of several of the students, but we have to make sure we talk with the parents," Detroit Public Schools emergency financial manager Robert Bobb said at the scene of the shooting on Detroit's west side.