One Police Officer Killed And Two Injured In Paris Shooting As Cops Search For Second Suspect

A police officer has been killed and two others have been wounded after shooting erupted at a tourist hotspot in Paris.

The gunman has reportedly been shot dead by police and people have been told to stay away from the Champs-Élysées following the incident.

Authorities are said to be searching the home of the gunman and an arrest warrant has been issued for a second suspect, who is thought to have arrived from Belgium by train, reports Reuters.

The officers were shot outside a Marks and Spencer store on one of the French capital's main shopping streets. Thirty-seven-year-old policeman Xavier Jugelé was killed. He had been deployed during the 2015 attack on Bataclan.

Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack, with Australia's Channel Nine saying: "The terror group said, through its Amaq news agency, the attacker was of Belgian descent and named Abu Yusuf al-Beljiiki." But the attacker has now been identified as a French national.

Credit: PA

French President François Hollande has called an emergency security meeting and security sources have told the Telegraph that the alleged attacker was known to intelligence services.

Hollande told reporters: "A national tribute will be paid to this policeman who was killed in such a cowardly way. We are convinced the path of our investigation will reveal this was terrorist related."

A witness to the attack told Sky News: "There was a police van and the guy came in an Audi A80, an old grey Audi. He parked just behind the van and he got out with a Kalashnikov and I heard six gunshots. I thought they were firecrackers, because we all looked around the road and there was no one."

US President Trump, during a meeting at the White House with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, was quick to comment on the shooting.

Credit: PA

Trump said: "It looks like another terrorist attack. What can you say, it never ends. We have to be strong and be vigilant."

Paris' police department tweeted: "Police intervention underway in the area of the #ChampsElysees avoid the sector and follow the instructions of the police forces."

The attack comes just three days before the French presidential election.

Source: Sky News, Telegraph, and 9 News

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: Paris

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie is a Trending Journalist at LADbible. His first job was as a newsreader and journalist at the award winning Sydney radio station, Macquarie Radio. He was solely responsible for the content broadcast on multiple stations across Australia when the MH17, Germanwings and AirAsia disasters unfolded. Stewart has covered the conflict in Syria for LADbible, interviewing a doctor on the front line, and has contributed to the hugely successful UOKM8 campaign.

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