2 US police officers killed, 7 injured in Baton Rouge shooting: reports

Louisiana: Multiple police officers in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, were shot on Sunday morning, a department spokesman said, as the country remains on edge about police and community relations.

According to reports, two police officers were confirmed dead in the firing while seven others were injured.

The officers were taken to a local hospital, Sergeant Don Coppola told the local CBS affiliate, adding he did not know the extent of their injuries.

"Several officers were struck by gunfire," Baton Rouge police spokesman Don Coppola told local television station WAFB.

"There are three they are describing as very seriously ill," Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden told the station, adding that more details will be forthcoming.

The station aired video footage of police responding to the scene in Baton Rouge. Multiple shots could be heard as civilian cars quickly backed away.

The shooting appeared to be carried out by a lone gunman carrying an assault rifle, local media reported.

While the scene of the shooting was contained, police have still not taken the shooter into custody and warned local residents to stay away from the scene, near Airline Highway.

The reports come a week after a wave of protests against police violence in Baton Rouge and other cities after a 37-year-old father of five was shot and killed at close quarters by law enforcement officers. At one of the demonstrations in Dallas, a gunman opened fire on white officers assigned to the protest, killing five of them.