MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) - Two Memphis police officers were shot and wounded Tuesday as they tried to arrest a man who barricaded himself in a home later engulfed by flames, authorities said. They added the man's body was later found in the charred and smoldering home.
Police said Aaron Dumas - wanted on attempted murder charges - opened fire when officers tried to arrest him at a home in south Memphis on Tuesday. News video footage later showed the home with flames crackling through the rooftop and neighboring streets blocked off by emergency vehicles.
Police Director Toney Armstrong said Officer Timothy Jackson, a five-year veteran, was struck in the leg.
Armstrong said the suspect then barricaded himself in the house. He said that when officers tossed a chemical agent into the home about four hours later, Dumas fired back, hitting a second officer, 15-year veteran Paul Hutchinson.
Both officers were released from the Regional Medical Center in Memphis Tuesday night.
After the second shooting, Armstrong said Dumas set the house on fire and remained inside. Authorities later confirmed his body was found inside the burned remains of the home.
A police spokeswoman did not immediately return a call to The Associated Press.
James Wilhite was walking near the scene when officers first attempted to enter the home.
"I heard one shot," Wilhite said. "Immediately following that, I heard a volley of shots. Then immediately after, an officer came out limping, supported by another officer. He was limping, noticeably in pain."
Dumas is wanted in connection with a shooting in the south Memphis area last week, according to authorities. Police said a woman, believed to be a former girlfriend of Dumas, and her brother, were shot following an argument with Dumas. A spokeswoman at the Regional Medical Center said Tuesday that the man and woman were hospitalized and in good condition.
Last year, Dumas allegedly set fire to an ex-girlfriend's sport utility vehicle, according to an affidavit. He was accused of throwing an ignitable substance into the backseat of the SUV because he was "angry over a recent incident," sparking a fire that also spread to another vehicle.