2 dead, 9 police officers injured in shooting in US Phoenix

Los Angeles, Feb 12 (IANS) Nine police officers were injured and two people, including a woman and the suspect gunman, died in a shooting in Phoenix, the capital of the US state of Arizona, authorities said.

Five police officers were in the hospital after being shot in line of duty. Four of them were recovering and the fifth "was seriously hurt but on the road to recovery", Phoenix police Chief Jeri Williams told reporters on Friday.

Police were called to the shooting at a home near 51st Avenue and Lower Buckeye Road. One officer was shot multiple times by the suspect as he approached to help, according to Williams.

"There was a baby in the home, who at some point was placed in a carrier and placed outside. As officers went to bring that baby to safety, the suspect continued to shoot, firing and striking four other officers," Williams said, adding that officers returned fire at that time.

Officials later confirmed that four other police officers were also wounded by bullet shrapnel during the incident, Xinhua news agency reported.

A woman was found injured in the home and died later in the day.

The suspect was barricaded in the home for several hours. As police officers made their way into the home around 7 a.m. local time, they found the suspect dead inside, local TV channel ABC 15 reported.

The suspect and the woman are believed to be former boyfriend and girlfriend with a child in common, likely the baby involved in the incident. It is unclear at this time if the suspect died from self-inflicted wounds, and a motive in the shooting is not known, reported the news outlet, citing police source.

Phoenix police Chief called the incident "senseless" during the news conference.

"It doesn't need to happen and it continues to happen over and over again," said the police Chief.