1 Officer Dead, 3 Wounded In Mississippi Shooting

The Associated Press IUKA, Mississippi: One law enforcement officer was killed and three were wounded early on Saturday after an hours-long standoff in rural north Mississippi ended in gunfire, authorities said.

Also killed was the man suspected of firing on the police officers.

Tishomingo County Coroner Mack Wilemon said the gunfire came after a standoff developed at a house where police had responded to some kind of domestic disturbance on Friday afternoon.

A state SWAT team was summoned and was forcing its way into the house when the gunfire erupted, Wilemon said.

"They negotiated. They must have decided it wasn't going too well. The SWAT team stormed the house," Wilemon said.

Wilemon identified the dead officer as James Lee Tartt, 44, of Grenada, an agent with the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics; and the suspected gunman as Charles Lambert of Iuka, 45.

Of the three wounded officers, two had wounds that were not considered life-threatening. The condition of the third was unclear on Saturday morning.

During the standoff, a woman and a girl were in the house.

Neither was injured.