A provincial police officer has been rushed to hospital after being shot in a standoff in southwestern Ontario.

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) spokesman Sergeant Pierre Chamberlain said the shooting happened about 10:20 a.m. Monday as the male officer, who has not yet been identified, responded to a call. The officer is part of the force's Huron County detachment.

“I'm not sure how, or what, or why, or where, but there was a shooting. The officer was transported to hospital via air ambulance,” he said.

CTV reports the officer, who has 20 years experience, was in surgery with a head injury at a London, Ontario, hospital. However, Sgt. Chamberlain would not confirm the policeman's injuries or condition.

The shooting occurred as part of a “standoff” with a man, according to Monica Hudon, a spokeswoman for the Special Investigations Unit (SIU). She said the man was wounded and taken to Victoria Hospital in London, which is part of the London Health Sciences Center, for treatment.

The SIU, a provincial agency that examines all death or serious injuries involving police and civilians, has assigned nine investigators to the case.