One police officer was killed and two others severely wounded in a shooting incident late on Thursday on the Champs Elysees shopping street in Paris, authorities said.

According to a spokesperson for the French interior ministry the police officers were "deliberately targeted," and the assailant was shot dead by the police.

The Champs Elysees was closed off shortly after the shooting, while a helicopter started patrolling the area. Police vehicles were seen lining up the street, and people were told to move away from the area.