Kern County Sheriff's deputy shot and killed during standoff in Wasco

KERN COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Two Kern County Sheriff's deputies have been shot and one of them killed in an ongoing standoff in Wasco.

Deputies were responding to a 'shots fired' call on Sunday afternoon and realized a shooting happened inside a nearby home.
Several people were reported as possibly injured.

When deputies arrived, a suspect inside the house opened fire.

The deputies called in the county SWAT team for help while locking down the neighborhood.

Hours later, the SWAT team approached the house, and the suspect opened fire again.

Two deputies were shot. They returned fired, hitting the suspect.

The wounded suspect was taken to the hospital.

Two people were reportedly found injured inside the home.

Wasco Mayor Alex Garcia released a statement, calling the incident a tragedy.

"While reporting to a standoff here in Wasco, one of our brave Kern County Sheriff Deputies was killed-in-action and oneother was shot and wounded. Although this remains an ongoing situation, at this time I would like share that my heart goes out to the families of both the deputies," he wrote in the statement.

A procession with deputies and other law enforcement was held to escort a flag-draped body from the hospital to the coroner's office.

Both lanes of Highway 46 between Poplar Avenue and Maple Avenue were shut down and drivers were urged to avoid the area during the incident. All lanes have now been reopened.