The news was confirmed by the head of the local police and the Tongeren public prosecutor's office.

Police have patched together what happened. It is understood that the 53-year-old man who fired on the police officer first killed his son in Vlijtingen near Riemst (Limburg). He then made for the flat of his former wife in Bilzen with the intention of killing her. Here too shots were fired.

The killer's former wife is unhurt, but police later found the killer dead in the flat.

The incident occurred at premises in the centre of the town. Police had been called to the scene by the killer's ex wife.

Four police attended the scene.They entered the building and found a man armed with a hunting rifle in the bathroom acting in an extremely aggressive fashion. The police then ran to safety. One officer caught his foot on the stairs and was shot in the back.

Police returned fire. The injured officer was taken to hospital where he later died.

The police surrounded the premises, waiting for reinforcements.

When they finally made their way into the flat, they discovered that the man had died as a result of shots fired by the police.

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