AKIPRESS.COM - Two police officers were shot in an East Boston neighborhood late Wednesday and the suspect is dead, NBC 5 said.

Both of the officers' conditions are described as "extremely critical" as they undergo surgery at Massachusetts General Hospital, according to Boston Police Commissioner William Evans. Their names have not been released. One of the officers is a 28-year veteran on the force, while the other has served for 12 years.

Nine other officers were taken to Tufts Medical Center to treat minor injuries and emotional stress.

Authorities said officers were responding to a dispute between two roommates at 136 Gladstone St. just before 11 pm, and that when officers arrived, one of the roommates who was armed fired on police. The second roommate was not injured in the shooting.

The suspect, whose name also has not been released, was described by a senior Boston police official as "heavily armed", and may have had as many as three firearms, including a weapon described as a "long gun/rifle".

Evans said early Thursday morning that the suspect, a man in his 30s whose name has not been released, had at least an assault-style rifle and a ballistic vest.

Residents were asked to shelter-in-place or stay away from the area as police briefly searched the area for a possible second suspect. The shelter-in-place has since been lifted and residents were escorted back to their homes.