Four US police officers are now confirmed dead, and three more injured, after gunmen opened fire near a shopping center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, at around 9am local time this morning.
One of the suspects is believed to have been neutralized, with one or more still at large.
The suspects allegedly ambushed a group of policemen who responded to a 911 call in the area, killing four and seriously injuring three more.
The shooting takes place against a backdrop of escalating racial tensions in the city, and the country in general, after a string of fatal shootings involving white officers and black victims.