An American police officer has been shot dead in a cruiser in New Orleans, according to police officials.

The officer with the Housing Authority of New Orleans was found dead in Central City on Sunday morning.

The name of the officer has not been released. The cause of the incident is not clear yet.

Shooting incidents are common in the United States.

The shootings of several unarmed African-Americans in the past months angered people across the country.

Americans took to the streets nationwide to protest US police brutality against minorities.

Every year, more than 30,000 people are shot and killed in the United States.

The US averages 87 gun deaths each day as a function of gun violence, with an average of 183 injured, according to the University of Chicago Crime Lab and the Centers for Disease Control.

About 4.5 million firearms are sold annually in the United States at a cost of 2 to 3 billion dollars.

AGB/AGB