Paris policewoman accidentally shot dead by colleague

Pair were reportedly playing a game of drawing their guns on each other wild West-style

The new Paris police headquarters, where the accident happened (Getty)

A policewoman has been accidentally shot dead by a colleague as a gun went off unexpectedly.

Some reports said the pair were playing a game of drawing their guns on each other wild West-style, when one weapon fired.

Other reports said the male security officer had just picked up the woman’s gun.

The 27-year-old officer, who was at the Paris police headquarters, was shot in the head.

“This is a stupid drama that has just ruined two lives,” a police official told Le Parisien.

Two other officers were present at the time, and the 28-year-old who fired has been taken into custody.

The prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation, which will be conducted by the body that examines police abuses.

The two officers worked for a unit responsible for the transfer of detainees and the surveillance of police custody.