At Least 6 Dead In Aurora, Ill., Shooting, Including Gunman; 5 Police Wounded

A gunman who entered the Henry Pratt Company in Aurora, Ill., on Friday afternoon, armed with a handgun, killed five civilians, officials announced at a press conference. Five police officers were also wounded.

Police Chief Kristen Ziman said the gunman, identified as Gary Martin, 45, was killed in crossfire with officers. She did not suggest what motivated the gunman.

Martin is believed to have been an employee at the valve manufacturing company.

Two of the wounded officers have been airlifted to trauma centers in Chicago, Ziman said. A sixth officer suffered a knee injury.

Several other civilians were wounded in the incident.

"Every police officer dreads days like this one, yet these ... courageous Aurora officers and their colleagues did not hesitate to literally put their lives on the line today to stop further bloodshed," Chris Southwood, president of the state Fraternal Order of Police, said in a statement.

"These ... heroes willingly ran into harm's way to protect their fellow citizens and very nearly paid the ultimate price. We Illinoisans should be humbly grateful for their sacrifice, and we ask that you join us in praying that the injured civilians and police officers make a full and speedy recovery," he added.

A local hospital reported that three people involved in the shooting were being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

John Probst, who said he's an employee at the valve manufacturing company, told ABC7 Chicago "that a man who worked there 'went ballistic' and was armed with a pistol."

Probst said he ran from the building after hearing shots and seeing at least one person bleeding.

Aurora officials sent out a tweet at 3:23 p.m. local time, alerting the public that police were responding to an active-shooter situation near the streets of Highland and Archer. About a half-hour later, they had apprehended a suspect.

This story was updated at 6 PM. This is a developing story. Some things that get reported by the media may later turn out to be wrong. We will focus on reports from police officials and other authorities, credible news outlets and reporters who are at the scene. We will update as the situation develops.