Fairfield — A man attacked his wife and three children, critically injuring her and a 12-year-old child, before authorities shot him dead in his driveway Tuesday, police said.

The man confronted police officers who were called to his home in Fairfield at about 6 a.m. An officer was forced to shoot him, authorities said, and he later died of his injuries.

Inside, police found the man's wife and three children, ranging in age from 12 to 15, with numerous blunt-force trauma injuries and stab wounds.

All four were transported to hospitals. The wife was listed in critical condition at Bridgeport Hospital, and the 12-year-old was airlifted to Yale-New Haven Hospital with critical injuries, police said.

The other two children, ages 13 and 15, were sent to St. Vincent's Medical Center in Bridgeport. Their conditions were not available Tuesday afternoon.

The officer who shot the man also was taken to a hospital for observation, police said.

State police said they were awaiting a search warrant before entering the home Tuesday afternoon.

The circumstances of what may have led up to the attack weren't immediately clear.