Masked gunmen cause panic in Paris, leaving 12 dead

PARIS - Masked gunmen stormed a newspaper building in Paris earlier today, killing 12 people, one of them a police officer.

Firefighters carry an injured man on a stretcher in front of the offices of the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo in Paris, on January 7, 2015 | © AFP | Philippe Dupeyrat

12 people were killed today at a French newspaper known for their anti-Islamic views in Paris.

Masked gunmen stormed the Charlie Hebdo headquarters building during an editorial staff meeting, just after their latest publication.

The Daily Mail reported that the gunmen opened fire on staff and called out the names of journalists while doing so.

A police source told AFP, 2 men opened fire and killed those who were in the meeting. It has been widely reported that the gunmen fired round after round, killing the editor-in-chief and four cartoonists among what would be a total of at least 12 victims.

On their way out they (the gunmen) shot a police officer at point blank range in the head.
According to the Daily Mail, there were reports of up to 12 people dead and 10 wounded, four critically, including journalists, administrative staff, and police officers who attended the scene.

President Francois Hollande described the bloodbath as a ‘barbaric attack against France and against journalists’ and vowed to hunt down those responsible.

Watch the video below from Sky News that shows footage of the attackers and listen to how they gained access to the building: