At least three police officers were killed and several others injured in a shoot-out in the US state of North Carolina on Monday afternoon.
The police officers had visited a man with a criminal record in the city of Charlotte to serve an arrest warrant for illegal possession of a firearm, said the police chief in charge, Johnny Jennings, at a press conference.
When they arrived at the wanted man's home, a man in the front yard had opened fire. The police officers then also fired and killed the shooter, Jennings said. However, further shots were also fired from the house.
The police finally managed to secure the building and arrest two people in the house. They are now being questioned and are considered persons of interest.
Eight police officers were shot during the operation, Jennings said. Three succumbed to their injuries and one is in critical condition.
"Today, we lost some heroes that are out there just simply trying to keep our community safe," Jennings said. "when we put on this uniform, we don't have any guarantees that will return home."
Firearms are readily available and in circulation en masse in the United States. Attacks with many victims regularly shake the country - for example at schools, supermarkets, nightclubs or large public events.
But private disputes, police checks and disputes between criminals and gangs also end fatally far more often than in other countries because so many people in the US carry guns.