Three French police officers were shot dead and a fourth injured on Wednesday when she tried to help a woman who fled to the roof of a house during a domestic violence incident, authorities said.
The shooter was identified as a 48-year-old male.
He reportedly fired at two of the 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 of his injuries, while the other was taken to a hospital with a wound to his thigh.
The madman then set fire to his house when backup officers arrived – and shot and killed two more officers, the Clermont-Ferrand prosecutor’s office told AFP.
The officers killed were 21, 37 and 45 years old, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said in a statement.
The authorities were able to get the woman to safety.
Meanwhile, the alleged shooter was still on the run around 7 a.m. local time.
He is known to law enforcement officials in the area for acts related to custody issues, sources told AFP.
François Chautard, the mayor of the city of Saint-Just, said during an interview on French TV that a family dispute appeared to have triggered the incident.
Police evacuated local residents and secured the area, Chautard said on BFMTV, adding that the house was “completely destroyed by the fire.”