By Lisa Cornwell

Associated Press

CINCINNATI — Police responding to a report of an erratic man armed with a firearm got into a shootout with him Friday that ended with the death of a 27-year veteran officer, a police chief said.

Chief Jeffrey Blackwell said 48-year-old officer Sonny Kim and the suspect died after the shooting in the Madisonville neighborhood.

"We lost one of our best today," Blackwell said. "Our hearts are broken."

Blackwell said multiple shots were fired between the suspect and officers responding to a 911 call.

"We're not sure which officers involved actually fired rounds," Blackwell said. "We're not sure how many rounds were fired."

Blackwell said he believes the suspect was on the street when officers arrived. The suspect wasn't immediately identified.

The chief said the officer was wearing body armor.

City officers last week released details of a plan for dealing with Cincinnati's surging gun violence this year. The police chief said then that shootings were up 28 percent over last year.

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press