ALERT: France- Paris Shooting Closes Champs-Elysées (April 20, 2017)
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Alert – France: Paris Shooting Closes Champs-Elysées (Update)
This evening, a shooting took place in Paris in which a police officer and the suspect were killed. The Champs-Elysées has been closed due to the attack.
According to France24:
A gunman killed one police officer and wounded two others before being killed himself in an attack on the Champs-Elysees in the heart of the French capital on Thursday evening.
The officer who was killed in the attack was shot while in a police car waiting at a red light by an attacker driving by, a police union representative said on Twitter.
Paris police spokeswoman Johanna Primevert told AP that the attacker targeted police guarding the area near the Franklin Roosevelt metro station at the center of the avenue.
Reuters also reports:
A French interior ministry spokesman said it was too early to say what the motive of the attack was, but that it was clear the police officers had been deliberately targeted. The French prosecutors’ office said the counter-terrorism office had opened an inquiry.
Three police sources said, however, that the shooting could have been an attempt at an armed robbery.
In addition, the U.S. Embassy in Paris issued a Security Message for U.S. citizens:
One police officer was killed along with the assailant. Police have locked down the area. U.S. citizens are advised to avoid the area, heed instructions of local authorities, and monitor local media for updates. We strongly encourage U.S. citizens in France to directly contact concerned family members in the U.S. to advise them of your safety.
U.S. citizens are encouraged to monitor media and local information sources and factor updated information into personal travel plans and activities. U.S. citizens may monitor English-language French media at the following:
http://www.france24.com/en/
http://en.rfi.fr/france/
http://www.thelocal.fr/
Please contact the PR Team if you have any concerns: TravelLeadersGroupPR@TravelLeaders.com.