CENTRALIA — Centralia police are investigating an officer involved shooting that took place around 8:40 p.m. Tuesday, and resulted in a 23-year-old Centralia man being airlifted to a St. Louis area hospital with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head.

According to Interim Police Chief Brian Atchison, an officer was responding to a call of a suspicious/unwanted subject possibly under the influence of drugs outside a home in the 1000 block of Bond Street. When the officer arrived the subject is believed to have fired shots at the officer who returned fire. Unconfirmed reports say the subject then reportedly pointed the gun at his own head and pulled the trigger.

Other officers quickly responded to the officer’s call of shots fired and upon their arrival sealed off the area to all traffic but law enforcement and EMS. The area remained blocked off for several hours as the Illinois State Police Crime Scene Unit processed the scene. The area was opened back up around 2 a.m.

The subject was initially transported to SSM St. Mary’s Health Hospital before being airlifted just before 11 p.m. to St. Louis University Hospital. His condition was reported at that time as unresponsive.

We are not releasing the identities of the injured man and the responding officer at this time. Reports indicate the officer was not injured.