Scranton police officer, suspect critically wounded in shooting

A police officer in Pennsylvania was shot and critically wounded early Thursday as he helped investigate two other shootings, authorities said.

The shooting in Scranton occurred around 4:30 a.m. and also left a suspect wounded, state police said. Both were treated at a hospital and were listed in critical but stable condition, but further information about their injuries was not disclosed.

The wounded officer was among several Scranton officers who were investigating two other shootings that had occurred in the city earlier in the evening, state police Maj. Mike Carroll said. When the officers encountered a suspect, gunfire was exchanged, Carroll said, but he declined to provide further details.

Neither the name of the officer nor the wounded suspect was released. No other injuries were reported.

The officer-involved shooting and the earlier shootings are all believed to be connected to gang-related activity in Scranton and its surrounding areas and were not random, Carroll said. He did not provide details on the earlier shootings but said no victims had been found as of Thursday afternoon.