Four dead, including deputy and suspect, after shooting and firefight at Spokane County home

A shooting and an ensuing exchange of gunfire with responding officers left four people dead, including a sheriff's deputy and the suspect, and left another deputy critically wounded in eastern Washington state on Tuesday, officials said.

Spokane County Sheriff John Nowels said at a news conference that deputies were sent to a home in Spokane County, which borders Idaho, at about 2:30 p.m. local time. The response began after a woman told a neighbor that she had been shot by her brother.

According to the sheriff's office, authorities determined that the suspect had an active felony warrant, and investigators believed there could be additional victims.

"SWAT team members and deputies approached the house, attempted to breach the door and were met with gunfire," Nowels said.

The Spokane County Sheriff's Office said two deputies were critically injured by that gunfire. Other deputies returned fire while also working to move the wounded members of their team to safety.

One of the injured deputies later died of his injuries, the sheriff's office said. The second was placed on life support and was not expected to survive.

Neither deputy has been publicly identified. Nowels described both as young members of the SWAT team, and the sheriff's office said the deputy who died leaves behind a wife and two children.

Nowels said those who responded to the scene found one person dead inside the home and another person dead in the yard. The suspect is also dead, he said. The names of the victims and the suspect have not been released, and authorities are investigating the shooting and what may have led to it.

The woman who said she was shot by her brother was taken to a hospital with injuries that were not life threatening, Nowels said.

"Although we know our Deputies knew the risks, they bravely moved toward danger to protect others they did not know," the sheriff's office said in a statement. "They are the epitome of what the men and women in law enforcement are; they are the best of all of us." The office added, "We cherish having served with them as we begin to process the devastating and unthinkable loss."