Police: Man Kills 2 Florida Officers in Firefight

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) -- A man hiding in the attic of a home sparked an intense firefight with authorities trying to arrest him on a warrant Monday morning, killing two officers and wounding a deputy U.S. Marshal, police said.

More than 100 rounds were fired during the shootout, St. Petersburg Police Chief Chuck Harmon said. As of midday, the shooter was still barricaded inside the house. The marshal and officers had come to arrest the man on aggravated battery charges.

"He was somebody we wanted to get off the streets, " Harmon said. "Who expects to walk into a house and get gunfire from the attic?"

Harmon would not identify the suspect or the dead officers.

When officers arrived at the house, they were told by a woman that the man was in the attic. The three were shot as they tried to get him out, police spokesman Michael Puetz said.

Police used a vehicle to punch a hole in the wall to get to one of the officers who later died, Puetz said.

The woman from the house is safe and with officers, he said.

The marshal was shot twice but was doing fine, Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Tom Figmik said.

Monday's shooting is the latest in a string of shootings of police officers and comes four days after two Miami-Dade County detectives were killed by a murder suspect they were trying to arrest. That suspect was killed by another detective. The officers' funeral is Monday.

On Sunday, a man opened fire inside a Detroit police precinct, wounding four officers including a commander before he was shot and killed by police. Authorities said the gunman walked in just after 4 p.m. and fired indiscriminately. The officers' injuries were not considered life-threatening, said Police Chief Ralph Godbee.

And on Monday, a Lincoln City, Ore., police officer was critically wounded when he was shot during a traffic stop. Oregon State Police said the officer had pulled the suspect over for speeding.