French police say the gunman suspected of killing seven people in attacks in Toulouse was killed by a shot to the head after he reportedly emerged from a window firing.
During a media briefing, the French prosecutor said there was evidence Mohamed Merah had filmed his lethal attacks in their entirety.
Earlier. the French Interior Minister Claude Gueant confirmed that police had decided to storm the apartment where Merah had been holed up for more than 30 hours after he indicated he would not surrender.
The minister said that a decision to go in was made at 10.30am. Special forces entered the five-storey building in a suburb of the city having stood-off since early on Wednesday.
At the end, Mohamed Merah jumped from the window with a weapon, continuing to fire and he was found dead on the ground. Claude Gueant
M Gueant said earlier police hoped to capture alive Merah, who had confessed to police negotiators to killing three soldiers as well as three Jewish children and a rabbi at a school.
He told reporters a video probe had been sent into the bathroom and the Merah came out firing.
“The volleys of shots were frequent and very tough. One of the anti-terror police who is used to these kinds of situations told us he had never seen such a violent assault.
“The anti-terror police tried to protect themselves and returned fire. And at the end, Mohamed Merah jumped from the window with a weapon, continuing to fire and he was found dead on the ground.”
Earlier a stretcher had been sent to the scene and sustained gunfire had been heard.
As the standoff dragged into a second day, M Gueant had said police had lost contact with the 23-year-old gunman who claimed to have carried out the killings in the name of al-Qaeda and that there had been no sign of life from his apartment for 10 hours.