Seaford armed siege: Gunman shot by police 'critical'
A gunman is in hospital with life-threatening injuries after he was shot by police during an armed siege.
The 62-year-old exchanged fire with armed officers outside the property in Seaford, East Sussex at 01:00 on Sunday after almost six hours of negotiations.
Police were called to North Way after reports of a row involving firearms. A woman left the home after they arrived.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) confirmed they were investigating a shooting by police.
Earlier, Sussex Police said they were treating the investigation as the attempted murder of police officers.
'Stable but critical'
They said officers were called at 19:10 BST on Saturday and spent hours negotiating before the gunman came out just before 01:00 BST on Sunday.
"The man appeared to be wounded, but went back into the house. Officers then reacted as swiftly and as safely as possible to enter the house and administer first aid," the force said in a statement.
Shots had been exchanged with armed officers from Surrey and Sussex Tactical Firearms Unit, it added.
The man was taken to the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton where his condition is described as "stable but critical".
Two officers were slightly hurt during the incident, but were not shot. A shotgun was recovered from the scene.
The headteacher of a nearby school opened the building to provide shelter to the few residents returning home who were unable to get into their homes.
Ch Insp Jayne Dando said: "We did advise local residents to remain indoors while the incident was under way, but I would like to stress that there was little danger to the neighbouring community and this was kept to the absolute minimum.
"To contain the situation effectively it was necessary to deploy a police helicopter for some considerable time and I should like to apologise to Seaford residents who may have been disturbed by what was an essential need."