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Two police officers shot and killed in confrontation in Mississippi

Saturday, 29 September 2018 6:30 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 29 September 2018 7:34 PM ]

Two police officers killed in US shootout.

Two police officers have been shot and killed in a confrontation in Brookhaven, Mississippi.

Brookhaven Police Department officers Zack Moak, 31, and James White, 35, were killed in the early hours of Saturday morning when they went to respond to calls of shots fired.

When they arrived at the address the officers exchanged gunfire with a man who was wounded, police said.

The officers were wounded and pronounced dead at the nearby King's Daughters Medical Center in Brookhaven.

The suspect, 25-year-old Marquis Flowers, was injured during the exchange of gunfire with police and transported to a local hospital for treatment. His condition was not released.

It is still unclear why the shooting broke out.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is working the case, media reported.

Shootings are a common occurrence in the United States.

There are more than 30,000 gun-related deaths across the whole country annually .

Mass shootings at schools have in particular been on the rise.

One study published this year by researchers at Clemson University showed more students were killed in mass shooting at schools this millennium in comparison to the entire 21st century.

A recent poll showed Americans now support stricter gun control laws.