Suspect killed after shooting Watsonville police officer

A Watsonville police officer remains in stable condition after being shot by an armed suspect who then was shot and killed by other officers on the scene.

The incident occured on Saturday evening on a levee along the Pajaro River, south of Santa Cruz and roughly two miles inland from Highway 1. At least two officers were pursuing a man along the river at about 6:20 p.m. when the suspect fired at the officers, striking one in the chest, according to a statement released by the Watsonville Police Department. Officers returned fire, fatally wounding the unidentified man.

This was the first case of a Watsonville police officer being wounded while on duty since 1998, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, and the first shooting that involved an officers of that city since 2011. The status of the investigation of the incident will be updated Monday at 11 a.m., according to the department.

John King is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: jking@sfchronicle.com