A Harbor Police officer was wounded and a suspected gunman dressed in tactical clothing was killed Wednesday morning in a shootout in Little Italy as officers searched for a man who fatally gunned down two people less than a mile away. The officer was shot in his hip and was rushed to UC San Diego Medical Center in Hillcrest. Harbor Police Chief Magda Fernandez said he has been with the department for three months and in training, and said she spoke to him before he underwent surgery. “He was awake, he was alert, and he was in good spirits,” she said. His name was not released. Just after 8:20 a.m., police responded to a shooting at the corner of West A Street and Union Street and found that a man and a woman inside a vehicle had been shot, Capt. Manny Del Toro said. Both victims died. Police are still sorting out the relationship between the alleged gunman, believed to be in his 20s, and the two victims, but investigators believe the three knew each other. Their names were not released. Police fanned out downtown, launching a massive search for the gunman. Shortly after 9:05 a.m. — about 45 minutes later — Harbor Police spotted a person matching the suspect’s description walking in Little Italy, less than a mile away. A witness had spotted a man, armed with a handgun, and alerted Harbor Police officers in the area. The suspect was standing in the open, not attempting to conceal his weapon, Del Toro said. “One of the witnesses here described him as wearing tactical pants and tactical boots, and armed with a gun,” the captain said. “From what the description (was), there was no attempt to hide. He was being very blatant and very aggressive, and shooting ensued immediately with the Harbor PD.” Del Toro said it was not immediately known how the suspect got from the initial shooting scene to Little Italy, whether he had walked or driven a car. In addition to the gun, he was carrying knives, Del Toro said. He fired at four Harbor Police officers. Three of them returned fire. “There was a shootout,” Del Toro said. “There were multiple rounds fired by the suspect. One of those rounds hit the Harbor Police officer.” After the suspect was hit, officers provided medical assistance and transported him to a hospital. He was pronounced dead shortly after 10 a.m. “The actions of all officers on the scene saved lives today,” Fernandez said, adding that the incident “highlights the dangers our men and women in uniform face every day.” Police said several vehicles and a building were hit by gunfire in the shootout, which occurred on the southwest corner of Kettner Boulevard and Juniper Street. A bullet hole was clearly visible in the window of a building. No other injuries were reported, police said. Police closed down several streets in Little Italy, blocking them off with yellow police tape. Del Toro said it would be several hours before investigators would reopen the streets.