Two shot dead as Swiss police arrest suspect

Armed police have been deployed to the Swiss town of Sion after the incident

A man has been arrested in Switzerland after two people were shot dead and another person was injured in the southern town of Sion.

Police in the Valais region said several shots were fired in two different locations on Monday.

A woman, 34, was killed in a car park shortly after 07:00 (06:00 GMT), and a man, 41, was shot dead shortly after.

The alleged gunman was found just north of Sion at 15:43 following an eight-hour manhunt.

Valais cantonal police said it received a call at 07:15 that a person had been injured in a car park on Rue Oscar-Bider.

Shots were reportedly fired at the Sarosa painting company in the Ronquoz area, followed by a second location in the Potence area, local newspaper Le Nouvelliste reports.

"This was a woman who suffered a fatal gunshot wound," the police statement said.

"A few minutes later, a man was also shot dead, while a woman was also injured by a gunshot."

Both lived in the Valais region. A 49-year old woman from Valais was also injured.

The suspect was stopped and arrested in the St-Léonard region on Monday afternoon.

Police had set up road blocks around Valais in an attempt to stop the alleged gunman from leaving the country.

The town of Sion is located close to the Italian and French borders.

Police had closed roads in Valais

There has also been a large police presence in the town itself, with armed officers stationed at the crime scenes.

Local prosecutors have opened a murder investigation.

Switzerland, a country of around nine million people, has a high rate of gun ownership.

Small Arms Survey, a Swiss-based organisation that monitors global trends in armed violence, estimates the number of firearms in civilian possession at 2.3 million.