• The off-duty cop was getting his haircut at The Bladi Style in Baltimore on Saturday 

• Gunman Carlos Ortega, 38, burst into the shop and killed owner Rafael Jeffers

• The cop pulled out his weapon and shot Ortega dead before he could hurt anyone else

• Ortega had already killed Javier Villegas Cotto, 44, a mile away and wounded another person in two different shootings

• His motive remains unclear - cops say he argued with his previous two victims but it's unclear if he knew Jeffers

An off-duty Baltimore cop shot and killed a gunman who burst into the barber shop where he was getting his haircut on Saturday.

The unidentifed cop was getting his hair cut at The Bladi Style, a barbershop in Baltimore, when 38-year-old Carlos Ortega burst in with a gun.

Ortega shot and killed 33-year-old Rafael Jeffers, the owner of the barber shop, before being shot dead by the off-duty police officer who was getting his haircut by another stylist. 

The shooter's motive is unclear but less than an hour earlier, he killed Javier Villegas Cotto and injured another, unnamed victim, in two separate attacks nearby. 

It's unclear if he had a prior record or who his weapon belonged to. 

In the two earlier incidents, Ortega is thought to have known his victims and shot them after arguing with them, but Baltimore Police Department will not confirm what they were arguing over.

His first victim was 44-year-old Javier Villegas Cotto, who he killed one mile away from the barber shop. 

Police chiefs shared details of the shooting on Saturday to praise the off-duty cop. 

'That member of our department was armed while off-duty and in plain clothes. Responding to the shooting immediately, and with great bravery produced his firearm and fired at the perpetrator, striking the perpetrator,' Michael Harrison, Baltimore Police Commissioner said at a press conference. 

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott told CBS on Sunday: 'These petty minor disputes ending up with people losing their lives.

We have to be grateful that officer was here.' 

Written By Jennifer Smith