Five people have been killed and five police officers wounded in a shooting at a business in the suburbs of Chicago.

Police chief Kristen Ziman said that Gary Martin shot at officers as soon as they entered the Henry Pratt company building in Aurora.

Ms Ziman said that Martin, 45, was also killed.

Clayton Muhammad, the director of communications for the city of Aurora, said the officers were in a stable condition.

Hospitals reported treating at least seven patients from the shooting, though their conditions were not released.

Live TV reports showed dozens of emergency vehicles outside a building housing the Henry Pratt company in Aurora, a city of about 200,000 people about 40 miles west of Chicago.

Active Shooter Aurora
Emergency vehicles gathered near the scene of the shooting at an industrial park in Aurora (Bev Horne/Daily Herald/AP)

John Probst, an employee at the company, said that he ran out of the back door as the shooting unfolded. He said he recognised the gunman and that he works for the company.

“What I saw was the guy running down the aisle with a pistol with a laser on it,” Mr Probst said.

The company makes valves for industrial purposes.

The White House said President Donald Trump was briefed on the shooting and monitoring the situation as he prepared to depart for a weekend trip to his home in Palm Beach, Florida.