Police opened fire following a car chase in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast last night.
PSNI officers were seeking to make an arrest in connection with the inquiry into the murders of two men on Sunday and Monday.
The killlings follow reported tensions among dissident republicans and it is believed the Continuity IRA may be involved.
No one was hurt in the shooting incident which took place after 5pm. Up to six shots were fired when a man abandoned a vehicle in the area and ran off, eyewitnesses said. The car may have been stolen.
Police appealed for information about a missing car which may be linked to the murder inquiry. It is a silver Skoda with registration number PKZ 3760.
The murder victims were Edward Burns (36) from Ardoyne, whose body was found with gunshot wounds to the head near St Gall's GAA ground in west Belfast, and Joe Jones (38), whose body was found in Ardoyne. He had been viciously beaten.