Two St. Louis police officers shot in Ferguson while trying to arrest homicide suspects

Two St. Louis Metro cops were hospitalized Wednesday afternoon after a shooting in Ferguson, Missouri. One officer is in "very critical" condition and another is injured after the pair were shot at trying to apprehend homicide suspects.

According to St. Louis City Police Chief John Hayden, it's not clear if the officers involved shot back. The hospital was "still working on him as we speak," as Hayden was talking to the media earlier. "I'm asking the public to pray for our officer."

The law enforcement officer left in critical condition had suffered gunshot wounds to the abdomen while the other cop got hit in the leg.

According to the St. Louis Dispatch, the pair of officers were approaching a vehicle believed to be connected to a Tuesday homicide, when some of the suspects within the car shot at the cops. A total of four individuals were in the car and all of them were taken into police custody, according to local reports.

The officer who is critically injured is said to be in his mid-20s and with the department for three-and-a-half years now.

"The Urban League family is deeply grieved by the events of today. Our thoughts our prayers are with the family of the officers injured and we pray for their complete recovery,"  CEO Michael P. McMillan told a local outlet.

The situation comes as a career criminal got into a deadly shootout with police in Harlem, New York, this past week. The suspect later died after a third officer shot him in the head, but not before 47-year-old accused cop-killer Lashawn McNeil was able to open fire on two NYPD officers as well, leading to both of their deaths.