Boston hospital shootout wounds deputy, prisoner

Updated at 9:17 p.m. ET

BOSTON A deputy sheriff and a prisoner were shot at a Boston hospital Wednesday, the police said.

Boston police said the prisoner is in custody.

Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said two deputy sheriffs brought a prisoner in for treatment at Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, CBS Boston station WBZ-TV reports.

"As the handcuffs were being taken off the suspect, he began to struggle for the gun, there was a fight," Davis told reporters outside the hospital.

"He began to struggle for one of the deputy sheriff's guns. The two individuals fell to the floor, a round was fired, and one of the deputy sheriffs suffered a gunshot wound to the leg. At that point in time, the other sheriff apparently discharged his weapon, striking the suspect."

The officer was taken to nearby Massachusetts General Hospital, where he was in stable condition. The inmate, taken to the same hospital, was believed to be in critical condition.

Authorities didn't immediately release the names of the officers.

The police said on its Twitter feed that they are not looking for additional suspects.

Essex County Sheriff's Office spokesman Deputy Maurice Pratt said the prisoner is Raymond K. Wallace, 35, of Salem, who was transferred from the Essex jail to Middlesex County last year for his own protection after authorities learned he had "enemy issues" among some Essex inmates. Wallace awaits trial on armed robbery, masked robbery and firearms charges from 2011.

Jennifer Street, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, said the hospital remained open, but the emergency room was closed until 6 p.m. while authorities investigated.

The Middlesex County Sheriff's office said it is "focused on the safety and well-being of the officers involved." The office said it would release more information later.

Boston is located in Suffolk County, and the Suffolk District Attorney's office is working with police on the investigation. The district attorney's office reviews use of potential deadly force by officers.