Ontario police officer injured in close-range gunfight

London, Ontario -- A veteran Ontario Provincial Police officer was injured after exchanging up to 20 gun shots with a suspect in southwestern Ontario. The officer has been airlifted to a local hospital with reported head injuries.

This morning at approximately 10:30 a.m. in the small community of Winthrop, Ontario, OPP officer Vu Pham was engaged in a close quarter gunfight with a suspect off a local road, reports the Toronto Star. It was reported that the officer and the suspect exchanged up to 20 rounds as they fired at each other while lying opposite in a ditch off the side of the rural road. Both were injured in the gun exchange. One report states that a witness saw the officer, who was under "no cover", get hit by a bullet but "kept on shooting." CTV has unconfirmed reports that the suspect is in his 60s. The suspect has been brought to Victoria Hospital in London for treatment. The officer, with 20 years experience, was airlifted by helicopter to London as well. The extent of the injuries in the standoff have not been reported. The OPP have deployed the Special Investigations Unit to perform a detailed probe of the incident.