Six Philadelphia police officers were shot and wounded on Wednesday in a shootout during a drug raid on a house and negotiators were urging the shooter to surrender as gunfire continued to ring out.
Around three hours into the standoff, Philadelphia Police reported the six officers were taken to area hospitals with gunshot wounds, but none had life-threatening injuries.
It's believed two officers who were trapped inside a home with the suspected gunman have been freed.
“Suspect is still firing. STAY OUT OF THE AREA,” Philadelphia police sergeant Eric Gripp tweeted earlier today.
Police told local residents to remain inside their homes and stay out of the area after hundreds of rounds were exchanged.
Local television station Fox 29 reported some kind of movement by police around 7:30 p.m. with a “bang” sound.
Two other officers were also injured in a car accident while responding to the shooting.
There were reports the shooter was livestreaming the incident on Facebook.
President Donald Trump has been briefed on the shooting and was monitoring the situation.
Fox 29 reported that two drug squad officers were holding individuals they had arrested while serving a warrant, with both officers barricaded inside the house with the suspects.
The shooter was firing into the ceiling of the structure and outside, Fox 29 reported, citing a senior police official.
Police told local residents to remain inside their homes and stay out of the area after hundreds of rounds were exchanged. Source: AAP
Television images showed hundreds of police surrounding the house, many with guns drawn, as a SWAT team stood by.
The incident comes after two mass shootings in the US earlier this month - one in Dayton and the other in El Paso - left a total of 31 people dead.
Despite rampant gun violence in the US, efforts to strengthen firearms regulations remain divisive in the country, where the powerful National Rifle Association works to block stricter rules.
