Police have arrested a man suspected of killing eight people and firing on a police helicopter in the southern US state of Virginia.
Christopher Speight (39), turned himself over to police following a massive manhunt in woods west of the historic town of Appomattox.
The search began yesterday when a man was found fatally injured along the side of a narrow country road. He died on the way to the hospital.
A police officer who went to investigate fled after he heard gunshots and called for back up. The bodies of seven men and women were found at a house nearby.
Dozens of police officers surrounded a stretch of woods overnight and used dog units and a National Guard helicopter with thermal imaging equipment to search for the man.
The gunman fired at the helicopter, which had to land with a ruptured fuel tank after one or more rounds struck it, a Virginia State Police spokeswoman said. No police were injured.
Speight approached officers at the scene of the shootings this morning and turned himself in.
Police are still trying to determine his relationship with the victims. Local reports suggest two of the dead were believed to be his wife and son.
The drama paralysed the rural area in southwest Virginia. Residents near the shooting scene were told to remain inside with their doors locked and four schools in the area were shut.
Appomattox is about 150 kilometres south west of Richmond and best known as the place where Confederate general Robert E Lee surrendered in 1865 to end the US Civil War.
Agencies