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Paris Shootout Leaves Police Officer and Gunman Dead Paris Shootout Leaves Police Officers and Gunman Dead
(35 minutes later)
PARIS — A police officer was killed and his partner wounded in a shootout on the Champs-Élysées in central Paris on Thursday, French media reported. PARIS — A gunman jumped out of a car, killed a police officer and wounded two others on the Champs-Élysées in central Paris on Thursday night, French officials said.
The person suspected of being the assailant gunman was killed when police fired back, according to the reports, increasing fears in a city already on edge ahead of presidential elections. A French police union reported that a second officer had also died, but that had not been confirmed by the authorities.
The gunman was shot dead by the police as he tried to flee on foot, Pierre-Henry Brandet, a French Interior Ministry spokesman, told the BFMTV news channel.
Mr. Brandet said that shortly before 9 p.m a car pulled up to a police vehicle that was parked on the famous boulevard.
The man opened fire on the police vehicle, killing an officer. He then “tried to leave by running away while aiming at, and trying to target, other police officers,” Mr. Brandet said.
“He managed to wound two others and was shot dead by the police forces,” Mr. Brandet added. It was not immediately known if anyone else was in the attacker’s car.
Security forces quickly descended en masse on the Champs-Élysées. French television showed police officers closing off parts of the area. Nearby Métro stations were also closed.
The Paris Police Prefecture warned on its official Twitter account that a police operation was still underway in the area and advised people to stay away.The Paris Police Prefecture warned on its official Twitter account that a police operation was still underway in the area and advised people to stay away.
Jeanne d’Hauteserre, the mayor of the Eighth Arrondissement of Paris, which covers parts of the Champs-Élysées, said on Twitter that there had been a shooting but did not provide details. The shooting, which occurred near the presidential palace and many landmarks popular with tourists, heightened fears in a city already on edge days before the start of presidential elections.
French television showed police officers closing off parts of the Champs-Élysées, one of the worlds most famous boulevards. Nearby Métro stations were also closed. Voters in France go to the polls on Sunday for the first round of the election. The shooting occurred even as the presidential candidates were appearing on television to make their final arguments to voters.
Voters in France go to the polls on Sunday for the first round of a presidential election. Two men were arrested in the southern city of Marseille this week on suspicions that they were preparing an attack to disrupt the campaign.