The heroic French police office who was shot dead after switching places with a hostage was married while on his death bed, it's been reported.
Arnaud Beltrame, 44, was shot and killed by an ISIS terrorist after he volunteered to stay as a 'human shield' so a young woman could leave.
Terrorist Redouane Lakdim entered a supermarket in Trebes, south west France yesterday, where he held a number of people hostage. He agreed to let some go, but kept one woman to use a 'human shield'.
Beltrame then offered to switch and take her place, which Lakdim agreed to. Beltrame was shot several times in the throat and died in hospital.
According to the Mirror, a priest at the hospital Colonel Beltrame was taken to has said he wed the officer and his partner just hours before he died.
The Catholic priest said he also had the task of performing his last rites, before he sadly passed away due to his injuries.
The couple had planned to get married in June this year.
The priest told AFP: "I performed the the sacrament of marriage and performed the last rites...he was an incredibly courageous man, even at the end."
President Emmanuel Macron paid tribute to Arnaud saying: "He saved lives and honours his duty and our country."
Three people were killed in the attack, with 16 injured - two of them remain in a critical state.
Before he sparked the hostage situation, Lakdim shot a person and stole their car in nearby Carcassonne. On his way to the Trebes supermarket in France's south-west, he passed a group of four police officers and shot one in the shoulder.
When the 26-year-old took control of the store, he reportedly yelled 'Allahu Akbar' and shot dead a customer and employee.
A supermarket worker named only as Francois said: "I was in my department when I heard gunshots. I went to the area of the gunshots and came face to face with the person.
"He raised his gun and fired, I ran away, he shouted 'Allahu Akbar' and spoke about the Islamic State.
"I then evacuated the clients, about 20, who were in my area and we went quietly out of the back.
Interior Minister Gerard Collomb says Lakdim was known for petty crime and it's believed he acted alone in the Trebes attack.
He added: "We had monitored him and thought there was no radicalisation. He was known for possession of drugs, we couldn't have said that he was a radical that would carry out an attack."
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Source: The Mirror
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: World News, France