Two police officers have been shot dead during a traffic stop in southern Mississippi.Officers Benjamin Deen, 34, and Liquori Tate, 25, were killed in Hattiesburg city, said police spokesman Lt Jon Traxler.

Local media say that both men died from their injuries in hospital on Saturday night.

Three people have reportedly been arrested over the killings, ending a manhunt of several hours.

Warren Strain, spokesman for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, said that 29-year-old Marvin Banks and 22-year-old Joanie Calloway had both been charged with the killings.

He told The Associated Press news agency that Mr Banks had tried to escape in a police car after the shooting.

“He didn’t get very far, three or four blocks and then he ditched that vehicle.”

Mr Strain said that Curtis Banks, the younger brother of Marvin Banks, had also been charged with being an accessory to the crimes.

Tensions

The shootings took place after one of the police officers pulled over a car on Saturday, local reports say.

“All I know right now is that there was a traffic stop and someone started shooting at them and both of the officers were struck,” Lt Traxler told AP.

The number of shots and who fired them were still under investigation, he added. He did not explain why the car had been pulled over by police.

The incident comes after the killing of a New York police officer last week. Brian Moore, 25, was shot in the head while attempting to question a suspect from his police car.

In December, two officers were shot dead in their car in New York by a man who then committed suicide.

The latest shootings come amid heightened tensions in the US over the police’s use of force. Riots erupted in Baltimore earlier this month after the death of a 24-year-old black man in police custody.

Six officers have since been charged over the death of Freddie Gray.