The officers, from the Georgetown Police Department in Sussex County, had responded to a 911 call at a McDonald's at 20817 Dupont Highway in Georgetown, Delaware.
The call indicated that shots had been fired in the restaurant's parking lot just before 7:00 on Tuesday night.
The officers spotted the suspected vehicle -- a Chrsylser Sebring -- and stopped it.
Investigators say before officers even approached the car, the three men inside jumped out and started running.
As Corporal Shawn Brittingham began to get out of the driver's side of his patrol car, one of the suspects opened fire.
29-year-old Patrolman Chad Spicer was wounded before he had a chance to step out of the patrol car.
He died at the hospital.
Corporal Brittingham was wounded in the neck. He is in guarded condition at Beebe Medical Center in Lewes.
Two of three suspects are now in police custody. The third is still on the loose.
Police say his name is Christopher Reeves. His last known address is in the town of Ellendale. Police are combing the area for him.
The Georgetown Police Department has asked the Delaware State Police Homicide Unit to handle the investigation.
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