Two Police Officers Killed In US Shooting

Washington, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 29th Apr, 2021 ) :Two police officers were killed in Boone, North Carolina in a shooting incident that left five people dead, including the shooter, after a 13-hour standoff, police said Thursday.

US police, who are under scrutiny over the deaths of citizens in police shootings or during arrests, say they increasingly face high risks because of the spread of firearms across the country.

The Watauga County Sheriff's Department said the two officers, Logan Fox and Chris Ward, were killed Wednesday after visiting a resident to check on the occupants after one had not shown up for work and did not answer phone calls.

The officers were shot after entering the residence, Fox dying on the scene while Ward was evacuated to hospital where he died, the department said in a statement.

Law enforcement agencies rushed to the scene after the two officers were shot and the shooter barricaded himself in the home.

"The individual suspected of killing the two officers is also suspected of killing two civilians in the residence," the statement said.

County Sheriff Len Hagaman separately told local media that the shooter was dead.

Unconfirmed news reports said the two killed in the home were the shooter's mother and stepfather.

"This is an incredibly tragic situation and our thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved as well as their families and our community," Hagaman said in the statement.