With chilling echoes of Toulouse gunman Mohammed Merah, the Paris killer fled from his latest slaying yesterday on a motorbike
A gunman on a motorbike is believed to be responsible for four murders in a Paris suburb - sparking fears that another French serial killer is on the loose.
The four victims have been gunned down in housing estates within a 6-mile radius to the south of the capital since November, all shot at close range from the same weapon.
With chilling echoes of self-styled al-Qaida gunman Mohammed Merah, who massacred seven people in Toulouse last month, the Paris killer fled from his latest slaying yesterday on a motorcycle.
He shot his victim, a woman of Algerian origin, in the head with a 7.65mm calibre gun - the same weapon police say was used for the three other killings.
The 47-year-old victim was a widow who worked at Orly Airport and lived with her 18-year-old son. She was described by a neighbour as "a normal person, simple, no history."
The first victim was a 35-year-old laboratory assistant who was also shot dead in her building on 27 November.
Police probe: Officers talk to residents close to the latest shooting scene
AFP
On 22 February, one of the first victim's neighbours, a 52-year-old man, was shot dead in their building's car park.
Then, on 19 March, an 81-year-old man was killed by a shot to the head. All the killings happened between 4pm and 6pm.
Police said the small-calibre weapon used is not common among the criminal underworld as it must be fired at close range.
Last month, France was shocked by a string of seven killings by Merah, a 23-year-old Frenchman from an Algerian family who declared he was inspired by Al-Qaida.
Merah killed three off-duty paratroopers, three Jewish schoolchildren and a trainee rabbi before he was cornered in his apartment and killed in a shootout with police.
File photo of a handgun of the same caliber as indicated in these incidents, 7.65mm. 

French authorities suspect a serial killer may be responsible for a recent string of shooting deaths.  At present, four people have been murdered in the Paris suburb of  in the past six months.  Although a suspect was apprehended in November after the first shooting, three more incidents have occurred while the suspect remains in custody. 

The fourth victim, a 47-year-old woman, was shot in the head Thursday. The other three shooting occurred on November 27, February 22, and March 17.

CNN affiliate BFM-TV reported that in relation to Thursday's killing, authorities are on the lookout for a blue-and-white Suzuki motorbike.

On Friday, Prosecutor Marie-Suzanne Le Queau told reporters that ballistic tests indicate all four incidents involved the same 7.65mm handgun.  She also said there were 100 investigators on the case.

Last month in France, Frenchman  committed seven murders.  Merah, claiming inspiration from al-Qaeda, killed three Jewish schoolchildren, a rabbi in training, and three off-duty paratroopers before he was killed in a shootout with authorities.