Three dead, several injured in central Paris after gunman opens fire

(CNN) — Three people died and four others were injured after a gunman opened fire in the 10th arrondissement of central Paris on Friday, local mayor Alexandra Cordebard said.

The shooting took place at a Kurdish community center, and a nearby restaurant and barber shop, Cordebard added.

“Following the dramatic shooting which took place this morning, I returned to Paris and will go to the scene. All my thoughts go to the families of the victims. The perpetrator was arrested,” French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin tweeted.

The shooting has not been designated as a terrorist incident, though all avenues are being investigated.

The suspected attacker has been arrested. Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said the gunman’s motive is unclear and that an investigation has been launched.

Beccuau told journalists at the scene that the suspected attacker had previously been known to the police to have been allegedly involved in two incidents: One in the Paris suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis and the other at a migrant tent camp in Bercy, near the French Finance Ministry, in the 12th arrondissement of Paris.

Paris’ anti-terror prosecutor is “evaluating” the facts around Friday’s shooting, but the investigation is still being led by the city’s judicial authorities, the anti-terror prosecutor’s office told CNN Friday.

“We are evaluating the facts to know if the event should be qualified as an act of terrorism,” the prosecutor’s office said.

This is a breaking news story. More to follow.

The-CNN-Wire