Deputy shot and wounded outside a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Station

LANCASTER, Calif. (AP) — Authorities say a deputy was shot and wounded when someone opened fire outside a Los Angeles County sheriff’s station.

Deputy Lillian Peck says authorities set up a perimeter Wednesday near the Lancaster station to search for the shooter.

Peck says the wounded deputy was standing with colleagues in a parking lot when gunfire erupted.

She says the deputy was hospitalized in unknown condition after being hit in a shoulder.

Deputies are clearing nearby buildings to determine where the shots came from. Peck says the exact circumstances of the incident remain unclear.

The sheriff’s station is surrounded by shops and restaurants in a downtown area of the desert city with160,000 residents about 60 miles (97 kilometers) north of downtown Los Angeles.