3 police officers shot dead in central France

PARIS: Three French police officers were shot dead when a man opened fire on them when they arrived at a house in a remote village in response to a call about domestic violence against a woman, police said on Wednesday (Dec 23).

The man suspected of carrying out the attack in France's central Puy-de-Dome region has since been found dead, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Twitter.

French officials made no mention of any suspected militant motive behind the incident.

The incident began when a group of officers from the gendarme police force arrived at a house in a small hamlet near the town of Saint-Just in the early hours of the morning, following a call about domestic violence.

When police arrived, a man starting shooting at them and then set fire to the house, according to BFMTV.

The woman, who was the reported victim of domestic violence, sought refuge on the roof of the house and was rescued safely by police. The house was destroyed by the fire, BFMTV reported.

"This is a gendarme operation which is related to domestic violence, which has seen some developments that are still in progress," a representative of the regional prefect's office told Reuters.

The interior ministry said the three gendarme officers killed in the incident were aged 21, 37, and 45. A fourth officer, who was wounded, did not have life-threatening injuries, the ministry added in a statement.

President Emmanuel Macron expressed solidarity with France's police force, tweeting "They are our heroes."

Interior Minister Darmanin paid tribute to the officers who were killed. "The nation bows down before their courage and commitment," he wrote on Twitter.