Police captain shot and killed in Kansas City, Kansas

Kansas City Police Chief, Terry Zeigler, said a police officer was shot and later died Tuesday afternoon. The officer had been taken to hospital in critical condition.

It was a male officer.  The trauma surgeon at Kansas University Medical Center said the police captain had died of his injuries, according to The Associated Press. 

A spokesperson for the department  earlier told WFSB the police officer’s condition was critical.

The incident happened in residential neighborhood, north west of Kansas City, Kansas.

The shooting of the police captain occurred when he was responding to a report of shots fired by several people in a car.

When the officers arrived on the scene, the three or four people who had been shooting from a car jumped out and ran away, the Kansas City police department said in statement.

Police said there were two suspects, one is in custody, another is still at large.

The police officer was taken to the trauma unit at Kansas University Medical Center.

Police told WDAF-TV they were investigating a crime when the officer was shot.

Chief Terry Zeigler said the officer’s condition is unknown but encouraged people to “start prayers.” A tweet from Kansas City Police says, “Not again. Prayers started.”

The Kansas City Star reported that multiple suspects ran from the scene, according to police radio traffic.

Police have blocked off the streets while they search for suspects.

Police swarmed the area with dozen of officers, some with rifles,hiding behind cars, according to the Kansas City Star. Several officers were kneeling with their guns drawn.

A woman at a house in the area came out with her hands up.

Tuesday's shooting was the second of a Kansas City  police officer since early May, when a police detective was shot and killed near Kansas Speedway.