Philadelphia shooting: Six police officers shot and injured in drugs raid on home

Two other officers were trapped inside the house for five hours as the shoot-out continued

At least six police officers have been shot and injured – none of them gravely – after a gunman opened fire on them in the centre of Philadelphia.

Two other officers were trapped inside the house for about five hours during the shoot-out but were eventually freed by a Swat team.

In the latest mass shooting to rock the US, television footage showed dozens of officers surrounding the shooter in a property in the city’s Nicetown-Tioga neighborhood.

“Suspect is still firing. SIXPPD Officers shot – at area hospitals with non life threatening injuries,” Philadelphia police department spokesman Eric Grip said on Twitter.

“Additional officers also receiving treatment for non-gunshot injuries. Continue to avoid area. Situation is active and ongoing.”

A man was later taken into custody.

One witness told local media they had heard up to 100 shots being fired, as the incident played out and heavily armed officers moved to surround the location.

Philadelphia police commissioner Richard Ross said many of the officers who had entered the house "had to escape through windows and doors to get (away) from a barrage of bullets".

The mayor of Philadelphia, Jim Kenney, said: "I'm a little angry about someone having all that weaponry and all that firepower, but we'll get to that another day."

The incident came as Donald Trump has vowed to press ahead with greater regulations about access to weapons, in the aftermath of two mass shooting earlier this month in Texas and Ohio in which more than 30 people were killed.

The president has said he wants to tighten background checks, though critics say what he has suggested so far will not go far enough to address the crisis. The incident in Philadelphia is believed to this year’s 257th mass shooting, a definition that requires four of more people to be shot, in addition to the gunman.

Fox News said three of the injured officers were taken to Einstein Hospital, and that at least one of them was shot in the arm. Three other officers were taken to Temple University Hospital.

All six officers were in a stable condition and were being treated for non-life threatening injuries. Two other officers were injured in an accident related to the emergency response and were also treated for non-life threatening injuries.

As the shooter continued to fire at police as the stand off entered the evening, officers made two appeals to the media, one urging them not to broadcast the positions of their tactical teams, and the other to keep television helicopters away from the scene.

Reports said Mr Trump had been briefed on the shooting, and was monitoring the situation.

Additional reporting by Associated Press