A Downey police officer was recovering Friday after being shot three times while participating in an undercover narcotics investigation in San Bernardino, officials said.

The officer was one of several Thursday who followed a suspect to a home in 1000 block of East Rialto Avenue, said Lt. Richard Lawhead of the San Bernardino Police Department.

Authorities surrounded the location about 4:40 p.m. and were preparing to enter the residence when they came under fire by one of three men in the driveway, Lawhead said.

The Downey officer, wearing a bulletproof vest, was struck in the torso, arm and buttocks. He returned fire and fatally shot the gunman, police said.

The wounded officer was transported to a hospital and later released.

The gunman’s body remained at the scene Friday morning as an investigation continued, Lawhead said.

Fifteen homes in the area were evacuated after the shooting. Residents of three of those had not been allowed to return, as investigators collected evidence in the area.