2 deputies were shot and killed in a standoff with a North Carolina gunman. The suspect and his parents were later found dead.

• Five people are dead following an armed standoff in Boone, North Carolina.
• Two of those killed in the shooting are law enforcement officers, authorities confirmed Thursday.
• The shooting suspect and his parents were also found dead.

Five people are dead, including two law enforcement officers, after an armed standoff in Boone, North Carolina.

The standoff began on Wednesday afternoon in a residential neighborhood when the Watauga County Sheriff's Office responded to a welfare check, WNCT reported.

The standoff lasted hours, authorities said, in which the gunman fired on deputies. By Thursday morning, two sheriff's deputies - identified as Sgt. Chris Ward and K-9 Deputy Logan Fox - had died of their injuries.

Fox was inside the gunman's home when he was shot, according to WSOC.

The Watauga County Sheriff's Office said a Boone police officer that was assisting with the situation was also shot during the standoff, but the bullet struck his helmet, likely sparing his life.

The shooting suspect and his parents were also found dead following the shootout, according to WCNC reporter Hunter Saenz.