Gunman killed after rampage near French Embassy in Tanzania's Dar es Salaam

By Kizito Makoye

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania (AA) – A gunman was shot dead after killing two police officers in a rampage near the French Embassy in Tanzania’s largest city, Dar es Salaam, on Wednesday.

The assailant, armed with two assault rifles, opened fire near the embassy in the city’s posh Oyster Bay suburb, an area where most foreign diplomats live, witnesses said.

Cops on duty at the French mission and a nearby bank tried to neutralize the gunman, who was yelling that he wanted to kill police officers, according to the witnesses.

“Several motorists abandoned their vehicles on the road and ran for cover,” said Lucy Kilomo, a resident of the city’s Kinondoni area who was on a passenger bus.

The man was standing in the middle of a road when he was finally shot by police snippers, she said.

Simon Sirro, Tanzania’s police chief, confirmed that the two police officers were killed by the shooter.

There were no other casualties in the incident, he said, adding that the gunman’s motives remain unknown at the moment.

The incident happened barely a month after a pistol-wielding man, who is believed to have had psychological problems, killed his friend and took his own life in Sinza, a suburb on the outskirts of Dar es Salaam.