Authorities say a man opened fire on police outside his Florida home, wounding three officers before he barricaded himself inside and committed suicide.
Police say officers responded to a domestic violence complaint at the Lake City home about noon Friday. As the officers set up a perimeter to serve a domestic violence injunction, authorities said, the man came out of the house and opened fire. Three officers were hit, and the man ran back inside the house, where he barricaded himself for hours, NBC station WJXT reported.
There was a standoff for several hours. Columbia County Sheriff's Sgt. Ed Seifert says a tactical vehicle entered the home around 8:25 p.m. and found the gunman dead. His name wasn't immediately available.
Lake City is about 60 miles west of Jacksonville.
Two of the officers were flown to Shands Medical Center in Gainesville and one was hospitalized in Lake City. All three were reported to be in stable condition, and one underwent surgery. The officers are identified as Sgt. Jason Byrd and Investigator David Greear, who have each been with the Lake City Police Department for 12 years, and Officer Mitchell Cline, who has been with the Police Department for six years.
Nearby homes and businesses were locked down following the triple shooting.
Dana Schreiner, of WJTK radio, said buses were brought in to evacuate children from a girls club near the police activity. He said others in the neighborhood were asked to stay in their homes during the standoff.
During the standoff, neighboring police agencies were also assisting and a helicopter was circling the area, which was behind a post office and only two blocks from the Lake City Police Department.
Lake City police, Florida Highway Patrol troopers, Live Oak police, and Columbia, Suwannee and Alachua County sheriff's deputies had the house surrounded. A Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission helicopter was circling the area.
