One police officer lost their life and two others were severely wounded in a shooting in Fargo, North Dakota, on Friday.
As reported by AP, the suspect involved in the incident was also killed.
In a statement late Friday, police said a civilian also was seriously wounded.
Police did not provide information about a possible motive or circumstances leading to the shooting. The identities of the slain officers and the suspect were withheld pending notification of their families.
The Fargo Police Department said the investigation is ongoing.
The shooting occurred on a busy street before 3 p.m., with multiple witnesses reporting that a man opened fire on the police officers before being shot by other officers in response.
Sanford Medical Center Fargo spokesperson Paul Heinert said in an email that the hospital “did receive patients stemming from today’s shooting incident in Fargo.” He said updates on their conditions would come from the Fargo Police Department.
Surveillance video provided by Fargo resident Allison Carlson captured the rapid sounds of gunfire lasting just seconds.
Chenoa Peterson said she was driving by the area with her 22-year-old daughter when a man pulled out a gun and began firing at police.
“He proceeds to aim it and you just hear the bullets go off, and I’m like ‘Oh my God! He’s shooting!’” she told The Associated Press.
Peterson’s first instinct was to pull over and try to help, but her daughter convinced her to leave. “It’s weird knowing that if you were 10 seconds earlier you could have been in that,” she said.
Bo Thi was working alone at a nail salon near where police reported the shooting when she heard what sounded like fireworks or a motorcycle backfiring. She said gunshots didn’t cross her mind at the time.
North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley said the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation is working with federal, state and local law enforcement in response to a “shooting incident” but provided no details of what happened.
Police have said there is no known ongoing threat to the public.
Police stressed in social media updates that about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away from the incident, they were asking some residents to evacuate as they continued to investigate and gather evidence. They urged people to stay clear of the large law enforcement presence.
Police and other local agencies across the region posted their sympathies for Fargo police on Facebook.
“Thinking of our brothers and sisters in Fargo,” read a post from the South Dakota Fraternal Order of Police.
“Please keep the blue lights shining to show our support of not only our local law enforcement, but also those affected by todays events!” read a post from the Glenwood Fire Department in Minnesota.
