By Louis Casiano, NBC News
Two deputies in Louisiana are are dead and two more were injured in a shootout early Thursday morning in the parking lot of a refinery, the Times-Picayune reported.
The shooting occurred around 5 a.m. near the Valero refinery in the St. John the Baptist Parish, 35 miles west of New Orleans. The two injured deputies are currently in surgery and were taken to separate hospitals in the area, department spokesperson Sgt. Dane Clement told the paper.
Their condition is not know but the paper reported family friends saying one deputy is stable but suffering from injuries to the kidney, spleen and bladder.
Police have two suspects in custody and are searching for another. Several law enforcement agencies from nearby parishes and the state police are assisting in the search.
Several roads have been closed as police have set up a search perimeter in the area.
No details on what led to the shooting have been released.
These are the first St. John the Baptist Parish officers to die in the line of duty since 2006, according the sheriff's website.
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