Austrian gunman shoots four dead

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Three police officers and an emergency
worker have been shot dead while trying
to arrest a suspected poacher, the
Austrian interior ministry has said.
Police armed with machine-guns are
surrounding a farmhouse near Annaberg
in Lower Austria, where the suspect has
barricaded himself in.
The man is heavily armed, according to
the state broadcaster ORF quoting police.
The suspect had been arrested during the
night but escaped in a stolen police car,
fleeing to his house.
Around 100 special forces officers are
surrounding the property in the town of
Melk, about 90km (55 miles) west of the
capital Vienna, the ORF reported.
Sporadic shots have been fired at officers,
who have described the situation as
“terrible and very explosive”.
Police have so far failed to make contact
with the gunman, the ORF reported,
adding that relatives of the suspect have
been brought in to help.
Police tried to apprehend the suspect late
on Monday after receiving information
that he had been hunting illegally.
However, the man – said to be in his
mid-50s – reportedly opened fire after
driving into a ditch, injuring a police
officer who later died in hospital.
A paramedic was shot dead as he tried to
help the officer, and a second policeman
was injured, reports said.