Fred Hopkins, a suspect shooting, identified as an old man Florence police officers ambushed yesterday

FLORENCE, S.C. – A police officer was killed and six of his comrades were injured when an old man began firing on members of Parliament who came to search his home in South Carolina on Wednesday. The man is barricaded at home with children and fired bullets in his upscale suburban neighborhood, authorities said.

The shooter was identified as Fred Hopkins, according to a senior law enforcement official with direct knowledge of the investigation and who was not allowed to speak in public, reports David Begnaud of CBS News.

Hopkins, 74, is a disabled Vietnam veteran who has faced several counts in recent years, including a case of disorderly conduct committed in 2014, reports the Associated Press. The records show that he is a barred lawyer.

The search warrant that had been served at his home was part of an investigation into a sexual assault on a child, and the subject of the investigation is Seth Hopkins, 27, who lives there, according to a law enforcement official.

The police have been called home dozens of times over the years, said the official.

Wednesday's violence occurred late in the afternoon after the authorities appeared with the search warrant. Five sheriff's deputies stood in the yard. While they waited for someone to open the door, the shooter opened fire.

According to the senior law enforcement official, Hopkins was perched like an elite gunman. He hit three of the sheriff's deputies. Four policemen from Florence, South Carolina, were later shot dead while responding to a call for help.

Hopkins has been a skilled marksman since the 1980s, said a senior law enforcement official. According to the Associated Press, he has posted on social media his elite status as a sniper competing and shooting with his children.

The policeman who was killed, Terrence Carraway, 52 years old and originally from Darlington, had just been honored for his 30 years of service with the Florence Police Department.

"I want you to pray for the family that has lost the most courageous policeman I know," said his boss, Allen Heidler.

A sheriff's armored personnel carrier was brought in to pick up the wounded during what became a two-hour standoff. The gunman finally released the children while he was being held in custody, authorities said.

"The officers went there, unaware of the suspect's firepower," said Florence County Sheriff, Kenney Boone, at a news conference.

"We were shooting at all the fire, the way the suspect was positioned, he had a view of the fire several hundred meters, so he had an advantage, the officers could not reach those who had fallen."

Boone gave the military equipment in his department the means to pull the wounded from the firing range.

"Thanks to our armored personnel carrier, the MRAP, we have ensured that all officers who have been shot down are protected and brought for medical care," he said.

The sheriff charged with the shooting investigation said Thursday that his deputies had not completed the treatment of the crime scene. Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said that until the work was complete, he would not know how many weapons had been used or fired.

Lott said that a suspect is in detention but has not been formally charged.

Condolences and support spills. President Trump tweeted his "thoughts and prayers", saying, "We are always grateful for what our law enforcement officers are doing 24/7/365."

"These are just devastating news from Florence," said Governor Henry McMaster. tweeted. "The selfless acts of bravery of the men and women of the forces of order are real, just as the power of prayer is real."

Authorities said the shooting took place at Vintage Place, a posh district in the west of the city. Bobby Goin stood outside, waiting for the police to let him go home, where his wife and granddaughter could hear the shots.

"Surprised is probably a euphemism," said Goin, who has lived in the neighborhood for 20 years. "The worst thing going on here is that someone runs a stop sign and it's posted on Facebook."

This is the second shootout of several police officers in South Carolina this year. In January, a 47-year-old former banker shot and killed four policemen in York County after his wife called 911 to report that he had beaten her. Christian McCall pleaded guilty and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

The incident knocked out people already facing a record flood caused by Hurricane Florence. The city of Florence, located in the northeastern corner of South Carolina and with about 37,000 inhabitants, is the largest city in the region known as Pee Dee, where the floods caused by the hurricane Florence have devastated areas to the east and south.