Paris Shootout Leaves Police Officer and Gunman Dead

AKIPRESS.COM - A gunman wielding an assault rifle on Thursday night killed a police officer on the city's most iconic boulevard, the Champs-elysees, stirring France's worst fears of a terrorist attack, which could tip voting in a hotly contested presidential election that starts on Sunday, NYTreported.

The gunman was shot dead by the police as he tried to flee on foot two other police officers and a bystander were wounded. The police quickly blocked access to the crowded thoroughfare, lined with restaurants and high-end stores, as a helicopter hovered overhead.

data-para-count="124" data-total-count="679The attack set off panic and a scramble for shelter, and officers began searching for possible accomplices after the attack. data-para-count="201" data-total-count="1161Near midnight, President Francois Hollande said in an address to the nation that the attack appeared to be an act of terrorism.

The Islamic State claimed responsibility in a message posted on a jihadi channel, and the Paris prosecutor said he...