3 gendarmes killed, 1 wounded in police operation following domestic violence call in France

Three gendarmes were killed and one was wounded in a gunfight with a suspect while responding to a domestic violence call in the French countryside. The attacker was “found dead” after a manhunt, the interior minister said.

The shooting occurred early on Wednesday in a remote area in the country’s central Puy-de-Dome region, French media reported, citing the prosecutor’s office.

The gendarmes arrived at the scene to rescue a woman who was hiding from her husband on the roof of a house.

A man opened fire at the officers when they were approaching the building. One gendarme died on the spot, while another was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the thigh.

When reinforcements arrived, the suspect set the house on fire and killed two more gendarmes in the ensuing gunfight.

A SWAT team and firefighters were deployed at the scene.

A local mayor told BFM TV that the house had been “completely destroyed by fire.” It was not immediately clear if the suspect, 48, was killed in the fire or had escaped. Gendarmerie spokesperson Maddy Scheurer told the media more than 300 officers were involved in the search.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin later announced that the suspect “was found dead.”

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