Three law enforcement officers serving a warrant on a felon wanted for possessing a firearm have been killed and five others injured in a shootout in North Carolina.
The officers were first shot at as they approached the suburban Charlotte home and then they fired at a suspect in the front yard, local Police Chief Johnny Jennings said.
He said after that man fell, more shots were fired at them from inside the home.
A suspect was found dead in the front yard and two other people were found in the home after a three-hour stand-off and are being questioned.
Authorities said two shooters were involved in the attack.
Many roads in the area, including Interstate 77, were closed so ambulances could get to hospitals faster. TV footage showed ambulances speeding to hospitals with several vehicles with sirens on both in front and behind them.
Kiashia Williams was driving home when she heard several shots separated by a few seconds.
"Ambulances, police and everything everywhere just started rushing down," said Williams as she waited in her car to be allowed to go home and check on her daughter, who broadcast what she saw on social media.
Four Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools were placed on lockdown around afternoon dismissal, but that was lifted in the late afternoon, the district said.
Police urged people to stay away from the neighbourhood and asked residents to remain inside their homes.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said he was in contact with law enforcement in Charlotte and offered any state resources to help.
Authorities did not immediately specify the exact nature of the warrant being served by the task force operation.
The Carolinas Regional Fugitive Task Force is headquartered in Charlotte with 70 federal, state and local agencies. Fugitive task forces are collaborations between agencies to find and arrest suspects in crimes.