LOS ANGELES, US - FIVE people including an elite Los Angeles SWAT team police officer were shot dead during a bloody 10-hour siege at a house in Los Angeles, authorities said on Thursday.

The shooter killed three men at the house in the northern suburb of Winnetka before gunning down a policeman and seriously wounding another. Police later shot dead the gunman.

'It is a tragedy what happened out there, but it could have been much worse,' Los Angeles Police Department Assistant Chief Jim McDonnell told reporters.

The drama began late Wednesday when the gunman phoned police at around 9:00 pm (8pm Singapore time) to say he had shot dead three family members.

Police arrived and entered the building shortly after midnight, engaging in a shoot-out which left a 51-year-old police officer dead.

The fatality was the first in the 41-year history of the Los Angeles Police Department's elite tactical response unit, police said.

Shortly after 7:30 am on Thursday the stand-off ended when police fired tear gas and flash grenades into the home, possibly triggering a fire at the property that sent thick smoke belching out of the building.

Local media reports initially said the gunman was arrested and handcuffed although police later confirmed the shooter had died in a further exchange of fire with officers.

Los Angeles deputy police chief Mike Moore told reporters the gunman had no communication with police during the siege despite pleas from family members outside the home to give himself up.

'What we were faced with was a barricaded suspect who had apparently murdered three other individuals,' Mr Moore said.

'The family also made remarks to this suspect to give himself up and surrender to police,' Mr Moore said. 'Unfortunately, the suspect had absolutely no contact with us, made no effort to surrender.'

Mr Moore said the gunman was killed after a gun-battle with police as they escorted fire crews attempting to protect neighbouring homes from the fire that had broken out. -- AFP