Seven US law enforcement officers have been shot, one of them fatally, in an incident in South Carolina, officials say.
Police in the city of Florence had been responding to a call for help from the sheriff’s office.
A gunman had been holding children hostage and was involved in a two-hour stand-off before surrendering and being taken to hospital.
He has not been identified and the motive is unclear.
All the children are now safe, police said.
At a press conference, Florence county Sheriff Kenney Boone said three county sheriff’s deputies and four Florence police officers were shot during the incident.
One of the Florence officers, named by local media as Terrence Carraway, 52, died from his injuries.
Meg Kinnard
✔@MegKinnardAP
UPDATE: City of Florence spokesman John Wukela tells me that Terrence Carraway is the officer who died from his injuries. He had just received his 30-year service pin from the department.
“Fire was being shot all over,” Sheriff Boone said, explaining the suspect’s “view of fire” gave him an “advantage” over the officers.
“These officers went there unknowing the firepower this suspect had,” he said. “They thought it was a random search warrant.”
The condition of the other six is not yet known, although there are fears some may have been seriously wounded.
US President Donald Trump has tweeted about the shooting, quoting South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster.
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