Four hostages were reportedly dead Friday after police raided a Paris kosher shop where a gunman suspected in an earlier shooting incident had holed up.
Sky News, Reuters, and French radio station France Info reported that at least four people taken hostage at the kosher shop were dead. It’s unclear whether those hostages were killed during the raid or already dead when the operation began.
BREAKING: Police officials: At least 4 dead, including gunman, in Paris kosher grocery hostage crisis.
— The Associated Press (@AP) January 9, 2015
That number is in dispute, however. The Associated Press and CNN reported that at least three people who were not the gunman were killed.
The AFP reported that four more were critically injured during the hostage situation.
Earlier reports suggested that five hostages were inside the shop, but a senior police official, Christophe Tirante, told the Washington Post that the number was actually much higher.
“At least 12 hostages are free and safe from the grocery store, but there were more hostages than initially thought,” he told the Post. “Now it’s not clear how many wounded there are inside the store.”
The gunman, identified as Amedy Coulibaly, was also reportedly killed in the raid.