Gunman wounds three officers, is shot dead in New Mexico

By Zelie Pollon SANTA FE, New Mexico (Reuters) - A gunman opened fire on police in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Saturday and wounded three officers before he was shot and killed, the city's police department said. Two Albuquerque police officers and one Bernalillo County sheriff's deputy were hospitalized with gunshot wounds, according to a statement on the Albuquerque Police Department website, which did not detail their conditions. "There are multiple scenes as the shooter fired at officers throughout the entirety of this incident," the statement said. "There are a lot of witnesses that still need to be interviewed," the Albuquerque Police Department said. "We expect the investigation to last for an extended period of time." Police did not return phone calls later on Saturday seeking more details, but the Albuquerque Journal interviewed witnesses who reported that before the gun battle, a man told a customer at a car wash to call police. The man waited behind a bus stop and then fired at least 15 rifle shots at police officers before stealing a squad car, witnesses told the newspaper. He shot the deputy sheriff who tried to stop him, according to a report on Albuquerque television station KOAT. The chase involving many police cars ended at a gas station, the station reported. The station is near the intersection where police said the gunman died after being shot. None of the wounded officers was identified. The wounded deputy sheriff, a woman, was in serious condition, said a representative for the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Department. (Writing by Kevin Murphy, Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis and Peter Cooney)