Police: 1 officer dead, 1 more wounded in Louisiana shooting

BATON ROUGE: A shooting in

Louisiana

's capital city of Baton Rouge has left one police officer dead and a wounded colleague fighting for life Sunday, authorities said, adding a suspect was in custody after an hours-long standoff at a home.

Baton Rouge Police

Chief Murphy Paul told The Advocate the officers were shot in the northern part of the city, and one of the officers later died.

Police said the officers were responding to a call about reports of gunfire when they were shot. At a news conference Sunday evening, the police chief said the slain officer was a 21-year law enforcement veteran and that the wounded colleague had seven years of police work, according to

WBRZ-TV

. The chief did not identify the officers.

The second wounded officer was hospitalized and “fighting for his life," Paul said, adding both officers were rushed earlier to a leading Baton Rouge hospital.

Paul said a suspect was taken into custody after the standoff. The police chief did not elaborate on any possible charges. Many details of events leading up to the shooting remained sketchy, and the chief said only that police continue to investigate.

Later Sunday, dozens of officers gathered outside the hospital where the wounded officer was being treated, awaiting updates amid their impromptu vigil.

A coroner's van was seen during the afternoon being escorted away by dozens of law enforcement vehicles as it left the hospital, according to media reports.