Paris Kosher Supermarket Gunman Killed, Hostages Freed By French Police: Reports

French police shot and killed the armed suspect who held at least six hostages at gunpoint at a Paris supermarket, according to multiple reports. At least four hostages were killed during the supermarket crisis, a police source told France 24. It's unclear how many hostages were rescued.

The gunman’s death was confirmed moments after explosions and gunfire were heard in the supermarket’s vicinity. “The kosher supermarket has been stormed. The terrorist is dead. The hostages are alive,” Gérard Araud, the French Ambassador to the United States, confirmed on his official Twitter account.

Authorities named 32-year-old Amedy Coulibaly as the suspected Paris supermarket hostage-taker. A female accomplice, identified as 26-year-old Hayat Boumeddiene, has eluded capture.

Witnesses said Coulibaly vowed to hold hostages until French police released suspected Charlie Hebdo shooters Said and Chérif Kouachi, CNN reports. The Kouachi brothers were killed in a separate assault after being cornered in a Paris warehouse.

Coulibaly entered the kosher supermarket Friday and declared "You know who I am" before firing on customers with an assault rifle, an anonymous police official said. At least two hostages were killed during the initial standoff, while several others, some severely wounded, were held at gunpoint. Police cordoned off streets and placed nearby schools on lockdown throughout the hostage situation.