FAIRBURN, Ga. (AP) — A Fulton County police officer was shot and killed Wednesday in what authorities describe as an ambush.

The shooting happened around 1:30 a.m. near Fairburn, about 20 miles southwest of Atlanta, Fulton County Assistant Police Chief Gary Stiles said.

Police were responding to reports of someone shooting a gun in the neighborhood and were ambushed while trying to protect the residents, Stiles said.

The officers "were trying to do their job, they were trying to protect this neighborhood from someone who was shooting," Stiles told WXIA-TV. "And they had no other option but to do their job. And the way it appears to me, they were ambushed without warning."

The officer was pronounced dead shortly after 4:30 a.m. Wednesday at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, police said.

The suspect was wounded by police and also was taken to Grady, authorities said. His condition wasn't immediately available.

The officer, whose name wasn't released, was a veteran of the force with about 28 years of service, Fulton County Police Chief Cassandra Jones told WSB-TV.

"This is a dreadful event," Jones said. "We are asking for the prayers and support from all of the community."