A railway employee went on a shooting spree in the streets of the central French city of Tours early Monday, killing four people and wounding seven others, including two police officers, before being shot and arrested, officials said.
Witnesses said the man got out of his car near the city courthouse, put on a balaklava and began shooting at random at passersby and vehicles.
Two police officers who tried to intervene were shot and wounded, one in the neck and the other in the arm.
According to authorities, the gunman began firing outside the courthouse at around 9:30 am (0900 GMT) and then fled and hid in a nearby underground parking lot at the city train station.
Police cordoned off the area and arrested the man, who was seen being led away from the parking lot.
Prime Minister Lionel Jospin described the incident as a "mad killing" and said the gunman was a public servant who had no previous criminal record.
Local authorities identified him as Jean-Pierre Roux Durrafourt, 44, an employee at the state railway company SNCF.
The motives behind the killings were unclear.
Unconfirmed reports earlier said that two gunmen were involved in the shooting spree -- TOURS, France (AFP)
