1 Police Officer Shot Dead by Armed Suspect in New Hampshire

April 12, 2012— -- Two deceased individuals were found in the New Hampshire house where an earlier shootout left one police officer killed and four other officers injured in what is believed to have ended in a double suicide or murder suicide.

The police shooting occurred Thursday in Greenland, a coastal town of 3,500 outside Portsmouth, N.H., after a standoff with a suspect believed to be armed with a rifle.

The police officer fatally killed was Chief Michael Malone. Two officers are listed as critical, according to emergency services, while two others have been released from the hospital.

Chief Malone, who had 26 years of experience in law enforcement, was reportedly scheduled to retire in eight days.

"In those final days, he sacrificed his life in public service as a law enforcement officer in New Hampshire," Attorney General Michael Delaney said early Friday.

SWAT teams placed a robot into the residence to gain entry early Friday. The robot detected two deceased individuals, one of which has been identified as Cullen Mutrie, who is believed to be the man who killed police chief and shot the others, according to Detective Eric Kulberg. The Female is still unidentified.

The shooter and woman remained holed up in the home into Friday morning, according to State Attorney General Mike Delaney said.

Early reports from the crime scene indicated the use of a "sniper rifle," though questions at a later press conference suggested an "automatic weapon" was used.

The incident may have been the result of a drug bust gone south, according to reports.

Early Friday morning Attorney General Michael Delaney released information about the other four officers who were injured. Detective Gregory Turner, 32, and Detective Kulberg, 31, were released after being treated for gunshot wounds. Detective Scott Kukesh, 33, was awaiting surgery in the intensive care unit with a bullet wound to the chest, while Detective Jeremiah Murphy, 34, was in the intensive care unit after surgery for a gunshot wound to chest.

The four injured officers were from other area departments and were working as part of a drug task force, according to The Associated Press.

"It's a blow to all of us. You're stunned. It's New Hampshire, it's a small town," John Penacho, chairman of the town's Board of Selectman said. "We're stunned. I mean all of us. It's an unbelievable situation."

The shootout is the latest in the rising toll of officers shot by suspects, a trend that counters a decline in many other crimes around the country.