Two police officers were seriously injured and a knife-wielding man died after shots were fired outside a mall in Barrie, Ont., on Sunday morning, police said.

At 10:31 a.m. ET, two Barrie Police Service officers responded to a call outside Bayfield Mall, about one hour north of Toronto.

"During the call there was an altercation and both of the officers on scene were stabbed with a knife and one person was shot and killed," said Barrie police Const. John Parliament.

All three men were taken to Royal Victoria Hospital in Barrie where one officer was believed to have undergone surgery.

"The injuries were serious in nature but obviously we hope for the best," Parliament said.

Witnesses told the Barrie Examiner they believed one officer was stabbed in the neck and the other in the arm before the pair chased down the suspect and opened fire.

Eleven investigators from the province's Special Investigations Unit are probing the shooting, the civilian agency said in a release.

Both officers are in critical but stable condition, the SIU said.

The SIU asked witnesses to contact the unit at 416-622-1935 or 1-800-787-8529 extension No.1935.

The unit investigates cases of serious injuries and deaths involving the police.

With files from The Canadian Press