UPDATED: The two police officers wounded in a shooting on Tuesday night are out of surgery and in stable condition, the CBC is reporting.
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Two RCMP officers are undergoing surgery at an Edmonton hospital after being shot at a residence near Killam, Alberta.
At a news conference in the rural community, about 165 km southeast of Edmonton, Chief Supt. Rick Taylor of the RCMP told reporters the officers suffered gunshot wounds to the torso but were alert, giving information to investigators on the way to the hospital.
Citing a police source, the Calgary Sun has identified the officers as Const. Sid Gaudette, an officer with five years experience, and Const. Sheldon Shaw who has been with RCMP for two years.
Police, Taylor added, were surrounding a home in the Killam area but did not know for certain whether a suspect was inside.
Reports suggest one suspect had been killed earlier Tuesday, but Taylor declined to comment on that. He did, however, note that one person being sought is known to police.
But the town's deputy mayor Darcy Ekstra did tell The Canadian Press one of the suspects was in fact dead.
"We are looking for, we believe, a second male," he said. "We don't yet know whether he is in that residence or in the area around it.
"The first male, we believe, is still in the residence. We're just trying to assess that now."
An army of police officers, bolstered by reinforcements from surrounding detachments converged on the area, along with air support, emergency response teams and canine units.
The RCMP officers were attending a rural residence earlier in the afternoon when they apparently came under fire.
Speaking to reporters outside the Alberta Legislature, Alberta premier Alison Redford said, "It's very unfortunate."
"I talked to the deputy commander of the RCMP just before we went in. I'm glad there's no loss of life but sometimes even these shootings can lead to pretty serious injuries so hopes and prayers are with their families."
The incident is grimly reminiscent of the 2005 Mayerthorpe tragedy, in which four RCMP officers were shot and killed on the property of James Roszko, northwest of Edmonton. Officers were carrying out a property seizure on Roszko's farm. Mayortherpe represents the single-day worst loss of life for the RCMP in the last 100 years.
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