LAPD officers at the command post in Symar. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

A standoff was underway Monday morning in Sylmar between police and a shooting suspect after a Los Angeles police officer was shot when responding to a domestic-violence call.

Officer Steve Jenkins, a veteran canine handler, was in critical but guarded condition and undergoing surgery at Providence Holy Cross Hospital in Mission Hills for damage to his jaw after being shot in the face.

The shooting took place about 2:45 a.m. when officers were approaching the home in the 13600 block of Dronfield Avenue and were shot at by someone inside the house.

The neighborhood surrounding the shooting has been evacuated for the safety of residents. Police said an evacuation center had been set up at Sylmar High School.

Police said they did not know if the suspect had additional weapons other than the gun that was allegedly used to shoot the officer. It was also not clear if the suspect was wounded. No one else was believed to be in the residence.

The incident began around 10:38 p.m. Sunday with a call from the man's wife, who had fled to a nearby residence to call police after allegedly being injured by the suspect. The wife was treated for moderate injuries and was in protective custody.

Police have surrounded the house.

The injured officer's wife is a sergeant with the Los Angeles Police Department and his son is a police officer, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said in a Monday morning news conference.

The morning's standoff, Beck said, "points up the danger of this occupation."

[Updated at 8:21 a.m.: The police union, the Los Angeles Police Protective League, said in a statement the shooting reflected a nationwide trend of increased attacks on officers.

"A total of 162 officers died in the line of duty in 2010, up from 117 in 2009," the statement read. "So far in 2011, 52 have lost their lives, a 20% rise from the same time last year.

"Since the beginning of this year, 27 law enforcement officers around the country were killed either by firearms or felonious assaults. This is an increase of more than 13 % in fatalities over 2010, when 20 officers were killed by firearms or felonious assault at this same point in time."]