At least two police officers were shot late Saturday evening in Fairview Heights, Illinois.
According to the Fairview Heights Police Department, the officers responded to a call about a “suspicious person” who was “prowling” around a residence just before 10 p.m. local time.
“Upon arrival, officers made contact with the individual. During the encounter, the individual opened fire, striking multiple Fairview Heights officers. The injured officers were transported to two area hospitals, where they are currently being treated,” the department wrote in a Facebook post.
The post continued, “We are grateful for the quick actions of our responding officers and emergency personnel. Please keep our injured officers in your prayers, as well as their families, and our entire department.”
A witness named Mel Vinci livestreamed multiple videos from the scene.
In videos, a white male police officer’s arm is seen being looked at by an EMT. It is unclear if he is one of the officers who was shot.
According to the Downstate Illinois-Metro East StL Scanner 911 Facebook page, which was sharing videos and livestreams from the scene, a female officer was shot in the face, and her male partner was shot in the arm. The Fairview Heights Police Department had not confirmed any information about the identities of the officers involved at the time of publishing.
A witness speaking in one of the videos said that the gunfire was so heavy that it “sounded like fireworks.”
The suspect was arrested and remains in police custody. Their identity has also not been publicly released at this time.
