A Millbury police officer was shot multiple times by a subject barricaded in a Family Dollar store in Spencer during a violent sequence of events Tuesday night.

Spencer police originally responded to a call on Main Street and when they arrived, they found a man suffering a gunshot wound, according to Spencer Police Chief Michael Befford.

Officers spotted a suspect matching a description a short time later at the Big Y plaza on West Main Street. When police approached, the suspect pulled a gun and opened fire, Befford said.

The suspect then fled into a Family Dollar store with officers chasing.

Police immediately shifted their effort to evacuate the store and nearby businesses.

Police called in support from the region’s law enforcement network, CEMLEC, the Central Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council, K9 officers, and the State Police air wing, among others.

In the meantime, the shooting suspect had found his way to the back of the store where he holed up in a bathroom.

Officers with the CEMLEC SWAT team entered the store and the suspect opened fire from the barricaded bathroom, wounding the Millbury officer, according to Befford.

Millbury Chief Brian S. Lewos said the officer, who has not been identified, “sustained multiple” gunshot wounds.

The suspect in the shooting was killed in the return of fire, said Jeff Travers, First Assistant District Attorney for the Worcester DA’s office in an update Tuesday night.

Police have not identified the suspect pending notification of family.

Travers said the wounded officer was in stable condition.

The Family Dollar store is on Route 9 in Spencer.

The shooting prompted an outpouring of support for the officer.

“Another police officer shot. This time in Spencer,” said the Boston Police Patrolman’s Association in a post on social media. “A Millbury PD Officer was shot earlier this evening during a standoff with a barricaded suspect at a Big Y shopping plaza. Thankfully, injuries appear to be non-life threatening. Praying for the officer involved and his family.”

Travers said the investigation into the shootings is in its early stages and remains ongoing.

– Developing