DETROIT — An officer who works for Wayne State University in Detroit was shot in the head while on duty Tuesday near the campus and was in critical condition, officials said.

The officer, a five-year veteran, was on patrol when he radioed, saying he was investigating possible thefts of navigation systems from cars and SUVs, and was about to speak to someone apparently on a bike, James Craig said.

‘‘It was boom, boom, boom,’’ Jacob Bolton, 20, who lives nearby, said later. ‘‘I heard some gunshots and I heard somebody hollering. But at first I thought I was dreaming.’’

Officers who arrived on the scene found the officer injured on the ground, Craig said.

Shortly after the shooting, which occurred around 6:30 p.m., several dozen armed officers were seen in the residential area of Woodbridge within two blocks of the campus.

‘‘A massive manhunt is going on’’ with local, state, and federal authorities on the scene, Craig said.

The university’s president, M. Roy Wilson, spoke from the hospital where the officer was undergoing surgery.

‘‘We have no idea what the motive was in this case — whether it was an ambush or something different,’’ Wilson said. ‘‘We don’t know.’’

Associated Press