Suspect killed, police officer hospitalised in Oregon fire incident

A suspect was killed and a police officer was hospitalized with a gunshot wound following a response to a house fire in Oregon City, Ore., police said. Officials said calls to Oregon City Police and Clackamas County firefighters Sunday afternoon indicated a person at a burning house was carrying a handgun, The (Portland) Oregonian reported. An Oregon City police officer was shot and flown to a medical center in Portland, Clackamas Fire District spokesman Brandon Paxton said. The suspect, who was not identified, fled to a nearby house at some point during the incident, authorities said. SWAT team members confronted the suspect and shots were fired. "It's somber," Clackamas County Sheriff's Sgt. Robert Wurpes said. "We're concerned. We are a community. We're coming together to support our fellow officers." Initially, police officers from Oregon City, nearby jurisdictions and two Clackamas County SWAT units responded to the call, officials said. "When there's a code 0, every officer in the vicinity comes running," said West Linn Sgt. Neil Hennelly. Firefighters refrained from battling the house fire, which was being investigated as a possible arson, because of the report of an armed occupant, Paxton said. The building eventually burned to the ground.