The enraged, crazy man was found dead," French interior minister wrote on social media. Gerald Darmanin added that he will travel to the scene where a gunman killed three officers - called to a domestic violence incident - shorty after Tuesday midnight.

French gendarmes were called to respond to a domestic violence incident in Saint-Just, central France, shortly after midnight on Tuesday.

A 48-year-old man opened fire on the officers when they tried to approach the house, where a woman had fled to the roof. The gunman killed one officer and wounded another in the leg. He began firing at police who arrived as reinforcement, eventually setting the house ablaze and killing two more officers. The woman was rescued.

According to French press reports, the couple was known to authorities on child custody issues and the bloodshed may have been caused by another demestic argument.

On Wednesday morning, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin confirmed on his social media that the suspect had been found dead, adding however that there is no precise information on the circumstances of his death.

In an earlier tweet, Gerald Darmanin said the nation bows before the courage and committment of the French gendarmerie, and he extended his condolences to the victims colleagues, friends and family.