SELMA (AP) — An Alabama police chief says one of his officers is hospitalized and is expected to survive after being shot while on patrol.

Selma Police Chief Spencer Collier did not immediately release the name of the officer who was wounded before dawn Sunday.

Collier says he believes the shooting was an “ambush” with multiple people involved.

He tells WSFA-TV that shots were from a high-powered rifle and pierced the officer’s bullet-proof vest and chest. The officer sped away, as he is trained to do, but lost control of his vehicle and crashed.

Collier tells the Selma Times-Journal he plans to use “overwhelming force” to investigate the shooting, calling in officers from other parts of Alabama to help. He says shots were fired at another police vehicle in Selma in early September.