(CNN) — Five people — including an off-duty police officer — are dead after a shooting Thursday in eastern Raleigh, North Carolina, according to Mayor Mary-Ann Baldwin.
Two people were taken to the hospital, Baldwin said, one of whom was a Raleigh K9 officer with non-life threatening injuries.
As of 8 p.m., police had a suspect contained to a residence in the area, Baldwin said. Lt. Jason Borneo, RPD spokesperson, confirmed that the suspect is “contained,” but did not identify the person.
“This is a sad and tragic day for the city of Raleigh,” Baldwin said. “All of us in Raleigh right now need to come together. We need to support those in our community who have suffered a terrible loss. A loss of a loved one. We need to support the family of the police officer who was killed and also the police officer who was shot.”
The hours-long ordeal and subsequent search for the suspect began shortly after 5 p.m. when multiple people were shot in the Hedingham neighborhood. Earlier helicopter footage from CNN affilate WRAL-TV showed more than a dozen emergency vehicles lined up on a road through a wooded area.
A woman who was at the Hedingham Golf Club driving range said an “unending stream of police” drove by the area. “A golf pro came out to tell us to shelter inside or leave ASAP,” she told CNN. “They were very calm, but I could tell something was wrong, so we left right away.”
Police tweeted shortly before 6 p.m. that officers were “on the scene of an active shooting in the area of the Neuse River Greenway near Osprey Cove Drive and Bay Harbor Drive.”
At around 8:30 p.m., police advised residents to remain in their homes “until further notice.”
Numerous local and state law enforcement agencies are assisting Raleigh police, including the Charlotte Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper tweeted he spoke with the mayor and “instructed state law enforcement to provide assistance responding to the active shooter in East Raleigh.”
“State and local officers are on the ground and working to stop the shooter and keep people safe,” the governor said.
Baldwin said the investigation remains “active” and officials are expected to have another briefing at 10:45 p.m. Thursday.
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