A Selma police officer has been placed on administrative leave after a shootout with suspects at George Washington Carver Homes Friday morning.

According to Captain Johnny King with the Selma Police Department, the incident happened on the 400 block of Martin Luther King Street near historic Brown Chapel AME Church.

An officer was patrolling the area and heard gunshots, so he got out of his patrol car to investigate.

“Once out of the patrol car, he observed several black males running from the area of where the gunshots were being fired from, and they were still firing their weapons,” King said. “The subjects then started firing towards the officer.”

King said the officer then fired back at the suspects. During the shootout, a 19-year-old, who was identified as one of the suspects, was shot.

He was transported to an out of county medical facility for treatment. The officer was not struck.

“By the grace of God, the officer wasn’t injured buy the gunfire,” King said.

The other suspects fled the scene.

According to King, the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office was called to investigate, and they responded to the scene. Any time an officer is involved in a shooting, another agency is asked to investigate the officer’s actions.

King said the police department is handling the investigation on its own into the suspects, which could face attempted murder, which is a class A felony.

“The Selma Police Department is requesting community support and involvement in reporting these very dangerous suspects to the police,” King said. “The Selma Police Department will use all available resources in the effort to make an arrest.”

The officer will remain on paid administrative leave during the course of the investigation, which is standard protocol.

Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-866-442-7463, the SPD Criminal Investigation Division at (334) 874-2125 or the secret witness line at (334) 874-2190.