A Fairfax County police officer shot an armed man Tuesday during a confrontation that occurred while officers were attempting to have a van towed from a residential street in Lorton, authorities said.

       Two Fairfax County police officers responded to the 8300 block of Fitt Court shortly after 8 a.m. Tuesday to investigate a “suspicious” maroon minivan with tinted windows that had been parked on the block for at least 24 hours, Fairfax County Police Chief Kevin Davis said at a news conference.

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       The officers determined the van’s North Carolina license plates were stolen and called a tow truck to move the vehicle, Davis said. After the tow truck arrived, its driver opened the side door of the minivan, and an officer pushed a button to open the rear door.

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       At that moment, the occupant began to emerge from the side door of the minivan and raised a short-barreled rifle in the direction of the officers, Davis said.

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       One officer responded by yelling at the man to drop his weapon, before firing several shots at him, Davis said. The man was hit in the chest by at least one bullet and was rushed to a hospital, where he is listed in stable condition.

       Davis did not name the 34-year-old man who was shot but said he was wanted for drug and firearm offenses in Fairfax County. The police chief said that it appeared the man had been living in the van for some time and that it was filled with personal items. Davis said he did not think officers realized the man was in the van before the confrontation.

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       A reproduction handgun was also recovered from the pocket of the man, Davis said.

       The second officer on the scene suffered slight injuries when she pulled the tow truck driver out of the way during the incident, Davis said.

       Police officers were “confronted with a deadly threat, and they acted,” Davis said.

       Investigators have reviewed body-cam footage from the officers involved and plan to release it in the coming days. They also plan to name the officer who opened fire. The investigation is ongoing.

       Dana Hedgpeth contributed to this report.