SAN FRANCISCO, March 4 (Xinhua) -- One person was killed and four Sonoma County sheriff's deputies wounded early Monday morning following a shootout in west Santa Rosa, the U.S. state of California, officials said.

       The incident unfolded shortly after midnight, when deputies responded to a report of a person brandishing a rifle in unincorporated west Santa Rosa, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office.

       The person fled in a vehicle when confronted by law enforcement officials, stopping at times to allegedly fire shots at deputies, said the office.

       "Deputies returned fire and, ultimately, the suspect crashed the vehicle he was driving," it said in a statement.

       Four deputies were injured, including one with a head injury in critical condition, it noted.

       The person the deputies were pursuing was pronounced dead at the scene. It was not immediately clear if the death occurred in the gunfight or from the crash injuries.

       The Santa Rosa Police Department will take over the investigation of the shooting, sheriff's officials added.

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