FARGO, N.D. (AP) — One police officer has died and two others were critically injured in a Friday shooting in Fargo, North Dakota, police said.

The suspect also was killed, police said.

In a statement late Friday, police said a civilian was wounded in the shooting that happened Friday afternoon. Witnesses said a man opened fire on police officers on a busy street before other officers shot him.

The Fargo Police Department said it plans to release more details on Saturday afternoon.

The investigation is ongoing.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.

A man opened fire on police officers — hitting more than one — on a busy street in Fargo, North Dakota, Friday afternoon before other officers shot him, multiple witnesses said.

Police have not confirmed if anyone, including police officers, was shot in what they called a “critical incident” that happened before 3 p.m., but a hospital reported receiving patients within hours, and law enforcement agencies across the region posted sympathies for Fargo police on social media.

“We sincerely are asking for your patience and our community’s patience and understanding as the Fargo Police Department works through this incident,” Gregg Schildberger, chief communications officer for the city, told reporters at the scene later in the day. He did not say whether any officers had been shot or injured but added: “This is very difficult on all of us. We are releasing as much information as we can at this point. … We appreciate all the messages from the community that have been given to us in support of our officers.”

Sanford Medical Center Fargo spokesperson Paul Heinert said in an email that the hospital “did receive patients stemming from today’s shooting incident in Fargo.” He said updates on their conditions would come from the Fargo Police Department.

Police said there was no known threat to the public. But after the shooting, officers converged on a residential area about 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) away and evacuated residents as they gathered evidence that they said was related to the incident.

Witnesses reported seeing and hearing gunshots in the area. Shannon Nichole told KFGO Radio she was driving in the area at the time.

“I saw the traffic stop and as soon as I drove, shots were fired and I saw the cops go down,” Nichole said. “My airbag went off and the bullet went through my driver’s door.”

Nichole said a man grabbed her and told her they needed to get out of the area.

Chenoa Peterson said she was driving with her 22-year-old daughter when a man pulled out a gun and began firing at police.

“He proceeds to aim it and you just hear the bullets go off, and I’m like, ‘Oh, my God! He’s shooting!’” she told The Associated Press.

Peterson’s first instinct was to pull over and try to help, she said, but her daughter convinced her to leave.

“It’s weird knowing that if you were 10 seconds earlier you could have been in that,” she said.

Bo Thi was working alone at a nail salon near where police reported the shooting when she heard what sounded like fireworks or a motorcycle backfiring. She said gunshots didn’t cross her mind at the time.

Surveillance video provided by Fargo resident Allison Carlson captured the rapid sounds of gunfire.

North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley said the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation is working with federal, state and local law enforcement in response to a “shooting incident” but provided no details of what happened.

Police and other local agencies across the region posted their sympathies for Fargo police on Facebook.

“Thinking of our brothers and sisters in Fargo,” read a post from the South Dakota Fraternal Order of Police.

“Please keep the blue lights shining to show our support of not only our local law enforcement, but also those affected by todays events!” read a post from the Glenwood Fire Department in Minnesota.

Police have said they planned to release more details later on the shooting.

___

Associated Press writers Lisa Baumann and Alina Hartounian contributed to this story.

News from © The Associated Press, 2023