国际英语新闻：Three police officers killed, two more injured in Pittsburgh

WASHINGTON, April 4 (Xinhua) -- Three Pittsburgh police officers were shot dead on Saturday morning and two more were wounded after they responded to a domestic dispute in a residence home, police said.

    The western Pennsylvania city's police chief Nathan Harper told reporters at a press conference in the afternoon that the suspect, Richard Poplawski, opened fire on two officers when they approached his home in Stanton Heights district.

Allegheny County Sheriff's deputies leave the scene at the end of a standoff with a man, who killed three Pittsburgh police officers during a shootout, in the Stanton Heights neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania April 4, 2009

A third male officer was also fatally shot as he attempted to assist his fallen colleagues, Harper said.

    The shootings led to a three-hour standoff outside the home that left two more officers injured.

    Poplawski, 23, was taken into custody after surrendering to law enforcement. He is expected to face charges of homicide, aggravated assault and other related offenses.

Police officers stand next to a police car, which was damaged during a shootout in which three police officers were killed and several wounded, in the Stanton Heights neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania April 4, 2009

The suspect's mother was inside the house at the time, Harper said.

    The suspect was taken to a hospital, and Harper said he didn't know the extent of his injuries.

    The standoff began shortly after 7 a.m. (1100 GMT) and ended about four hours later. Up to 100 shots were fired.

    A large number of police officers clad in riot gear are at the scene, and a helicopter is hovering overhead, TV footage shows.

    The killed police officers' identities were released and the motive of the suspect is being investigated.

A relative of a man, who killed three Pittsburgh police officers during a shootout, yells at police as she leaves the scene in the Stanton Heights neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania April 4, 2009.