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Masked Gunman Kills Four, Wounds Eight in France
A masked gunman opened fire in this central French city on Monday, killing four people, injuring eight, and sending terrified bystanders running for cover. Afterward, the suspect told officials he had no recollection of the incident.
A 44-year-old suspect, an unidentified train operator with no criminal record, was quickly apprehended by police after fleeing to an underground parking garage.
Authorities determined the alleged gunman acted alone after a 40-member SWAT team, guns at the ready, came up empty-handed after searching the garage for a possible accomplice, said Jean-Francois Houssin, a regional government spokesman.
The suspect was taken to the hospital for minor leg and chest injuries he received scuffling with police.
The alleged gunman told police after being captured was that he had no recollection of the incident, Police Superintendent Jacquy Zalokar told reporters.
While his motive remained unclear, Houssin said the suspect's personal problems may have triggered the attack.
Police were reviewing security camera tapes to try to get a better idea of what happened.
President Jacques Chirac, in a letter to Mayor Jean Germain, expressed his solidarity with the town's citizens in the face of the "barbaric act."
Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, speaking in Rennes, called the shooting "the act of a homicidal maniac" and cautioned against lumping the incident with concerns over security that have grown since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks against the United States.
But Charles Pasqua, president of the conservative Rally for France party, said the incident shows France needs to restore the death penalty to get serious crime under control.
Two police officers were among the eight injured in Tours, about 155 miles southwest of Paris, in the heart of France's Loire Valley region, which is dotted with historic chateaus. Two other people sought psychological treatment.
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