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| Version 4 | Version 5 |
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| US police 'shot dead in ambush' | US police 'shot dead in ambush' |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Four police officers have been shot dead in an ambush at a coffee shop in Washington State, police say. | Four police officers have been shot dead in an ambush at a coffee shop in Washington State, police say. |
| Officials quoted by local media said at least one gunman walked into the coffee shop in Parkland, near the McChord Air Force Base, and opened fire. | |
| A sheriff's spokesman said the officers had been targeted and it was not believed to have been a robbery. | A sheriff's spokesman said the officers had been targeted and it was not believed to have been a robbery. |
| Other customers were in the coffee shop at the time but no-one else was injured, KOMO-TV reported. | Other customers were in the coffee shop at the time but no-one else was injured, KOMO-TV reported. |
| Parkland is in Pierce County, 40 miles south of Seattle. | Parkland is in Pierce County, 40 miles south of Seattle. |
| Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer told local media that the officers had been working on their laptops in the coffee shop when the shooting happened on Sunday morning. | Pierce County Sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer told local media that the officers had been working on their laptops in the coffee shop when the shooting happened on Sunday morning. |
| "It was just a flat out ambush," he said. | |
| First reports said there had been two gunmen but Mr Troyer told the BBC he now believed there was only one, although the situation was still unclear. | |
| Mr Troyer said the families of the four officers were being informed. | |
| Theron Zahn, of KOMO-TV, told the BBC that a huge police operation was under way and that the nearby air force base was effectively "locked down". | |
| "There are hundreds upon hundreds of police officers converging on the area," he said. | |
| "Police helicopters are in the air using their infra-red cameras for anyone who may be hiding nearby. It is a massive manhunt." | |
| Police are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the gunmen, KOMO-TV reported. | |
| Are you in Pierce County? Were you in the area at the time? How have you been affected by this story? Please sent us your comments using the form below. | Are you in Pierce County? Were you in the area at the time? How have you been affected by this story? Please sent us your comments using the form below. |
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