Three French police officers were shot dead and a fourth was injured early Wednesday in an attempt to help a woman who fled the roof of a house during a domestic violence incident, authorities said. .
The shooter was identified as a 48-year-old man.
He allegedly shot two of the police officers shortly after midnight as they approached his home in a rural village near Saint-Just, in central France, Agence France-Presse reported.
One of the officers died from his injuries, while the other was taken to a hospital with a wound in his thigh.
The madman then set fire to his home when security officers arrived and shot two more police officers, killing them, the Clermont-Ferrand prosecutor’s office told AFP.
The murdered officers were 21, 37 and 45 years old, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said in a statement.
Authorities were able to take the woman to safety.
Meanwhile, the alleged shooter was still fleeing around 7 a.m. local time.
He is known to law enforcement in the area for incidents related to child custody issues, sources told AFP.
François Chautard, mayor of the city of Saint-Just, said during an interview on French television that a family dispute appeared to have sparked the incident.
Police were evacuating nearby residents and securing the area, Chautard told BFMTV, adding that the house had been “completely destroyed by fire.”