Police officer and suspect shot in tense exchange of gunfire outside New York apartment

A police officer was shot and a suspect was critically wounded in a tense gunfight in New York City on Thursday, police said.

The gunman had barricaded himself inside an apartment in Manhattan's Lower East Side, where police arrived with a warrant to arrest him.

According to the NYPD, there was a standoff between the gunman and police that started before 12pm and lasted for two hours.

The NYPD said in an earlier statement: "Due to a police investigation, please avoid the area of Eldridge St. between Rivington St. and Stanton St."

Footage from the scene on the Citizen app shows several police officers with guns surrounding the apartment building.

NYPD officers were also seen with riot shields at the scene for several hours.

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SWAT officers with loaded guns went inside the building around 2pm, when loud shots were heard.

The condition of the shot officer is not yet known.

Paramedics were then seen entering the building and bringing someone out to an ambulance.

The gunman was taken to Bellevue Hospital in critical condition, The Villager reported.

According to sources, the gunman had fired at police and officers shot back. The gunman had been allegedly wanted for past crimes.

He barricaded himself inside a bathroom in the apartment when police tried to approach him.

Officers sent in a drone, which the gunman then attacked with a broomstick, ABC reported.

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