Five killed in shooting at Washington State apartment complex

Officers attended the Pinewood Apartments complex in Federal Way at around 9.30pm this morning following reports of shots being fired

A Washington State Patrol trooper directs a driver away from a street blocked off several blocks from the scene of the shooting that police said left five people dead (AP)

Five people have been killed in a suspected shooting at an apartment complex in a city south of Seattle.

Officers attended the Pinewood Apartments complex in Federal Way at around 9.30pm local time following reports of shots being fired.

Spokeswoman Cathy Schrock, of Federal Way police in Washington, said on arrival, officers spotted two injured men on the ground in a car park, one of whom reached for a gun as the officers moved in to assist them.

Ms Schrock said officers then opened fire. The man was killed but it was not immediately clear if it was from police gunfire. The other man on the ground and another man in the car park were found dead.

In a search of the apartment complex, police found another man dead in one apartment and the body of a woman in another. There was no immediate word what triggered the shooting.

Police are searching the scene as well as the wider area but have stated they did not think another shooter was on the loose.

Schrock said police were trying to determine if the woman was accidentally hit by gunfire.

A total of eight officers fired their weapons, Schrock said. All have been placed on administrative leave, per standard policy, as the investigation continues.

There was no immediate word what set off the shooting.

"We're gonna continue to go door to door in hopes that we can find some additional witnesses, and hopefully we won't be finding any more victims." Schrock said.

After police flooded the scene and carried out searches of the area, authorities said they did not think another shooter was on the loose or that there was an immediate threat to the public.

There were no reports of any officers being injured. The names of the five people who were killed were not immediately available.

Federal Way is about 20 miles (30 kilometers) south of Seattle.