Shooting at Vaccination Center Kills One, Injures Another

One man has been shot dead after a gunman reportedly fired shots in front of a Paris hospital, where COVID-19 vaccinations were being administered.

The shooting took place early on Monday afternoon in front of the Henry-Dunant hospital, in the 16th arrondissement—in the west of the city—French news station BFM TV reports, citing a source close to the investigation.

The gunman reportedly opened fire about 1:40 p.m., Le Parisien reports.

The newspaper said a homicide investigation had been opened and the case is being handled by the district of the judicial police of Paris.

The manager of a restaurant at a premises in front of the hospital told BFM TV the victim had ordered a take-out coffee in his establishment about twenty minutes before the shots were fired.

"I heard detonations, and I saw a guy in a hood shoot a bullet and I saw a guy on the ground," the witness said, adding that he saw "the guy on the ground take two bullets at close range in the head."

"The guy who fired then left on foot with really cool blood, as if nothing had happened", the restaurant owner said, as translated by Google. "500 meters further a scooter was waiting for him."

A woman, who is a hospital security guard, was also injured and taken inside for treatment, according to the outlet.

The gunman reportedly fled on a motorbike, a police source told Reuters.

The Henry Dunant private hospital is a geriatric hospital and is reportedly owned by the Red Cross.

Footage taken from outside the hospital shows fire rescue crews and police officers securing and cordoning off the area.

No further details were available about the incident at this time and the motive for the shooting so far remains unknown.