Three police officers were killed in Kentucky while attempting to serve a warrant on a man accused of domestic violence.

Following the incident, police apprehended the 49-year-old suspect.

When the officers arrived at the man’s residence, Floyd County Sheriff John Hunt described it as “absolute hell.”

Four additional persons were hurt at the scene in Allen, a small town in eastern Kentucky’s mountains with a population of only 166 people.

K9 Drago, one of the dogs that Mr Chaffins handled, also died.

Capt Frasure had been with the Prestonsburg, Kentucky, Police Department for 39 years. The department said he had served “with honor and glory up until the last second”.

The men ran into a barrage of gunfire from a rifle when they went to the house on Main Street shortly before 19:00 local time (midnight GMT).

The shooting continued for nearly three hours before suspect Lance Storz was taken into custody, having surrendered after negotiations involving members of his family.

He has been charged with two counts of murdering a police officer, five counts of attempted murder of a police officer, one count of attempted murder and one count of first-degree assault on a service animal.

“This is a tough morning for our commonwealth,” Kentucky state governor Andy Beshear said in a social media post.

“Floyd County and our brave first responders suffered a tragic loss last night.”

Kentucky State Police troopers are leading an investigation into the shooting.