Two people dead after French police open fire on vehicle

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French police opened fire at a vehicle in central Paris that refused to follow an order to stop for a law enforcement check. Two people were killed as a result, the Actu17 news portal reports.

The incident occurred late on Sunday night, around midnight, at a traffic control point in the Pont Neuf area. The driver of the vehicle did not follow an order to stop, directing the car to the police instead. One of the officers opened fire from a rifle to "protect himself" as claimed by the police. 

The driver and the front passenger were hit by the shots and died. A second passenger who was seated in the back was injured in the arm and taken to a hospital.

A security perimeter had been set up at the scene in the heart of the capital where a judge is expected to arrive.

The Paris public prosecutor, Laure Beccuau, arrived around 1:30 a.m. (2330 GMT).

France's police oversight body, the General Inspectorate of the National Police, is also expected to be deployed, as is typical following an officer's use of a firearm.

An investigation has been launched for “attempted voluntary manslaughter on persons in charge of public authority."

The incident came just hours after French President Emmanuel Macron won re-election, defeating challenger Marine Le Pen in a race that saw the far-right come its closest yet to taking power.

Anti-Macron protesters took to the streets of Paris shortly following his re-election. French security forces fired tear gas in Paris on Saturday as opponents of re-elected French President Emmanuel Macron rallied in the capital.

Footage on Twitter showed police trying to disperse a crowd of mostly young men and women who had gathered in the central Paris district of Châtelet to protest Macron's victory over far-right leader Marine Le Pen in the presidential elections.