Man shoots two officers after seizing gun at Paris police station

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
10 May 2024 09:31

A man arrested for assaulting a woman with a box cutter inflicts serious injuries on two officers at a Paris police station after seizing one of their firearms.

French police officers secure the Bibliotheque Francois Mitterrand RER and metro station on October 31, 2023. (AFP)

A man, arrested for reportedly assaulting a woman with a box cutter, severely wounded two officers in a Paris police station on Thursday after seizing one of their firearms and opening fire.

A source familiar with the situation said as quoted by AFP that the incident occurred in the 13th district of the French capital shortly before 10:30 pm (local time), with one officer sustaining life-threatening injuries.

Around midnight, Paris police chief Laurent Nunez arrived at the location, accompanied by prosecutor Laure Beccuau. Nunez informed reporters that the suspect had been apprehended at approximately 10:00 pm for a "very violent attack on a woman" using a box cutter.

"The officers intervened and brought him back here [to the police station], and it was during his processing that he snatched the weapon" and "seriously" injured the two officers, he said.

Nunez stated that both officers, along with the suspect, who sustained serious injuries from return fire, were promptly transported to the hospital.

"We are very worried about the state of health [of the officers]," he added, lauding the station staff's "courage and responsiveness."

He also mentioned that an investigation was ongoing to determine the "circumstances" of the event.

According to the prosecutor's office, three separate investigations have been initiated. One investigation pertains to the "attempted murder of the woman," while another focuses on the "attempted murder of persons holding public authority."

The third investigation, conducted by the IGPN, the internal affairs department of the national police, aims to examine the use of "intentional violence with a weapon by a person holding public authority," a standard procedure following the use of an officer's weapon.

The office stated that the suspect had been hospitalized with a chest injury but was not in critical condition.

"The investigations should clarify the circumstances of the events, the identity of the suspect, and his possible links to the female victim," it added.