2 shot dead at Paris bar

PARIS – A man and a woman were shot dead at a Paris bar late Sunday by a gunman who then fled, police said.

The two were shot at point-blank range with one bullet each as they were in the outside terrace of the bar in a residential part of the French capital’s southern 14th arrondissement, or district. They then tried to take refuge inside but succumbed to their wounds.

The police crimes squad was handling the investigation.

The identities of the victims were not immediately given.

The motive behind the killings was also unknown.

“All hypotheses are obviously open. The investigation has just started,” said a source close to the police probe.

France occasionally sees deadly score-settling by armed criminals in bars, most often in southern cities such as Marseille, but sometimes also in Paris, though in places well away from the heavily policed centre favoured by tourists.

Deadly disputes sometimes also erupt between couples, though not often involving firearms.