‘I’m scared’: Six cops shot in US

UPDATE: 11.52AM: Multiple Philadelphia police officers have been injured after an active gunman fired at them in an ongoing shooting incident.

Philadelphia Police Sergeant Eric Gripp said there was a large police presence on the street of the shooting.

He said several officers had been injured and warned people to avoid the area while the shooting was ongoing, with reports as many as six officers have been shot.

Police said one officer was struck in the head but was conscious and communicating. A second was hit in one or both arms. The injuries of the others are unknown.

According to local reports, the incident began when officers attempted to serve a warrant at a house in the Nicetown-Tioga section of the city and were met with gunfire.

The suspect barricaded himself inside a building, and about a dozen officers took cover behind cars as officials surrounded a home with guns drawn, ABC News reported.

Police made contact with him over the phone, but he did not speak.

Commissioner Richard Ross told reporters the gunman suddenly opened fire when officers were in the home's kitchen.

"Many of them had to escape through windows and doors," he said.

The shooter had continued to fire out of the windows, the commissioner said.

The gunman was still holed up as of 11.30am AEST.

SWAT officers were reportedly able to escort four women out of the building where the shooter was barricaded.

CNN affiliate KYW reporter Greg Argos, who is on the scene, described the women as "visibly upset, crying, as they were escorted down the street".

One woman told the outlet she heard over 100 gunshots and saw people running for their lives. "I heard so many gunshots … I'm scared," she said.

Another neighbourhood resident likened the scene to a war. "It was like a war - like a scene that you see in war," she told NBC. "The guns, the fire, the noise - it was like bombs going off simultaneously at a time where people are having dinner."

Live video from news stations shows a huge police presence in the neighbourhood, with dozens of police cars and officers at the scene.

The injured officers have been taken to temple University Hospital, with wounds believed to be non-life threatening.

Another officer was injured by a crash at the scene.

Temple University put itself on partial lockdown, urging people to seek shelter and remain cautious.

UPDATE 9:20AM: There are reports that at least two officers are locked inside the building with the gunman, Fox29 reported.

Philadelphia Police Department scanners have said the shooter is broadcasting the spree in an online live-stream video.

Philly Sgt. Eric Gripp tweeted six police officers have been shot. The officers have been taken to area hospitals with non-life threatening injuries.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives says numerous agents are responding to the scene to assist Philadelphia police.

Philadelphia police were first called to the scene for drug activity, Police Capt. Sekou Kinebrew told CNN affiliate KYW.

Video from a news helicopter showed more than 50 police vehicle at the scene.

The video also showed an armoured vehicle approaching an area where many police officers could be seen kneeling and crouching behind various cars with guns drawn.

Gripp, a spokesman for the department's public affairs office, also asked media helicopters to "pull back."

INITIAL: MULTIPLE Philadelphia police officers have been injured after an active gunman fired at them in an ongoing shooting incident.

Philadelphia Police Sargeant Eric Gripp said there is a large police presence on the street of the shooting, in the city's Nicetown section.

He said several officers have been injured and warned people to avoid the area while the shooting is ongoing, with reports as many as six officers have been shot.

The suspect has barricaded himself inside a building, and about a dozen officers took cover behind cars as officials surrounded a home with guns drawn, ABC News reported.

One woman told the outlet she heard over 100 gunshots and saw people running for their lives. "I heard so many gunshots... I'm scared," she said.

The officers have been taken to temple University Hospital, with wounds believed to be non-life threatening.

A fifth officer was injured by a crash at the scene.

Temple University put itself on partial lockdown, urging people to seek shelter and remain cautious.

More to come...