A man and a woman have been shot dead in a Paris bar by a gunman who then fled the scene on foot. The two were shot at point-blank range with one bullet each, police said.
They were sitting outside the 'Cafe Chineur' in a residential area of the southern 14th arrondissement in the French capital when the attack happened.
They tried to take refuge inside, but died as a result of their wounds. The two victims have not been named.
A local resident, who lives across the street from the bar, said "I saw a trail of blood that went from the entrance to the inside".
Police investigator Jean-Jacques Herlem called the shooting "mysterious" and said no motive for the attack has yet been established.
Paris mayoral candidate Nathalie Kosciusko-Morizet, who lives nearby, went to the scene after learning of the shooting from friends.
"My children go to two schools in the neighbourhood. I'm shocked," she said.
"It's impossible not to make the connection with the growing concerns over security issues, even if we don't know anything at this stage".
France occasionally sees fatal attacks by armed criminals in bars, most often in southern cities such as Marseille - but sometimes also in Paris - though in places well away from the heavily policed centre favoured by tourists.
