Three officers were killed, said a police official at the scene who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
At least five officers were wounded, police spokeswoman Diane Richard said. It's not clear if that included the slain officers.
The man who fired at the officers was arrested after a several-hour standoff. One witness reported hearing hundreds of shots.
Edward Perkovic, a 22-year-old who said he was the gunman's best friend, said he got a call at work from him in which he said, "Eddie, I am going to die today. ... Tell your family I love them and I love you."
"I heard gunshots and he hung up," Perkovic said.
The officers were called to the home in the Stanton Heights neighborhood at about 7 a.m., Richard said.
Tom Moffitt, 51, a city firefighter who lives two blocks away, said he heard about the shooting on his scanner and came to the scene, where he heard "hundreds, just hundreds of shots. And not just once - several times."
Rob Gift, 45, who lives a block away, said he heard rapid gunfire as he was letting his dog out.
He said the neighborhood of well-kept single-family houses and manicured lawns is home to many police officers, firefighters, paramedics and other city workers.
"It's just a very quiet neighborhood," Gift said.
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