HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – Hartford police are investigating whether a city officer was justified in firing his gun Saturday night in an incident that left one person dead and another injured.

The shooting added to a violent 24-hour period in the capital city. A total of five men were shot and three of them died.

A Hartford officer, whom police would not immediately identify, was working Saturday night with an agent from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives as part of a program to rid weapons from the streets.

The shooting happened at about 7:30 p.m. when the two officers tried to question the occupants of a car, one of whom was believed to have a firearm, in a Main Street parking lot in the city’s North End.

Police said the officers gave the suspects several commands, but the two men did not comply and the city officer fired his weapon.

Authorities would not say how many shots the officer fired or what exactly provoked his response. They also would not release the names of the suspects or the ATF agent.

The two men then drove off and crashed into another vehicle with three passengers several blocks away.

The driver of the suspicious car fled on foot and was found by police a short distance away. He was taken to Hartford Hospital to be treated for a gunshot wound to the chest.

The second suspect, who was also shot, was pronounced dead at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center. The three passengers of the other car were treated and released from the hospital.

The officer who fired his weapon was assigned to desk duty, under department policies.

On Friday, police said Edward Bell, 34, was shot and killed in front of apartments on George Street in the South End, where he lived.

Earlier Friday, two men were shot on Branford Street. Karl Miller, 24, was treated and released from St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center, but another died shortly after being taken to the hospital. Police have not released the victim’s name.

Police continued a search for suspects in both of Friday’s incidents.

Police spokeswoman Nancy Mulroy could not say if charges had been filed in any of the shootings.

Assistant Police Chief Mark Pawlina said investigators were looking into the possibility that the Branford Street shooting was connected to the fatal shooting of a Weaver High School student in February.

AP-ES-05-08-05 1600EDT