Police chief stabbed to death in front of town hall in south west France

Pascale Filoé, was stabbed three times at around 10am and later died in hospital from his injuries.

Filoé was the deputy director general of services at the Town Hall which meant he was in charge of the police municipale in Rodez, a town in the rural Aveyron department of south west France.

He was a father of three and according to initial reports was aged in his 50s.

A suspect, said to be a 39-year-old man with no fixed abode, was reportedly quickly arrested at the scene without resisting police officers. Reports say he was chased away by an employee at the town hall but ran into a shop where he was arrested.

The suspect was known to police and had only recently moved to the Aveyron department. La Depeche newspaper reported that he had already issued death threats against Filoé.

According to the La Depeche local newspaper the suspect was arrested on April 11th for vandalising the front door of the town hall.

French radio network France Info reported that the suspect recently had his pitbull dog taken away from him because he did not have the right to posess ne, due to a recent criminal conviction. This led him to threaten the town's mayor and the police chief.

France's Interior Minister Gerard Collomb said: "I share in the grief of the residents of Rodez after the despicable attack that targeted the head of their municipal police. My initial thoughts are with his family & loved ones. Support to his trusted colleagues & national police who immediately arrested the individual."