A tribal police officer in Arizona was shot and critically wounded

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CAMP VERDE, Ariz. — A tribal police officer was shot and critically wounded as officers responded to a report of gunfire in the Verde Valley area of north-central Arizona and a search was underway for the shooter, authorities said Thursday.

One of the responding Yavapai-Apache Nation police officers was struck Wednesday night when a male suspect got out of a vehicle and "fled on foot and began shooting at the officers," tribal officials said in a brief statement.

(istock)

The officer was in critical but stable condition Thursday after being airlifted to a Phoenix hospital, the tribe said. The officer's identity wasn't released.

No description of the suspect was immediately available, and it wasn't immediately known that person is an adult.

Tribal officials advised residents to stay in their homes Wednesday night and announced Thursday that buses would not run in two reservation areas.

"The subject is considered armed and dangerous and the public is asked to stay out of the area until the search has ended," the tribe's statement said.

The Yavapai-Apache tribe is headquartered in Camp Verde, which is 78 miles (126 kilometers) north of Phoenix and one of several communities in the Verde Valley.

Tribal officials did not immediately responded to a call from The Associated Press.