These are the first pictures of the three officers who were killed after responding to an emergency call about a woman being threatened by her husband.
Brig Arno Mavel, 21, Lt Cyrille Morel, 45, and Adjutant Rémi Dupuis, 37 were shot by an unnamed gunman who was later found dead by French authorities.
An investigating source said the gunman was believed to have “shot himself”.
The officers were responding to reports of a domestic violence incident in a small village close to the town of Saint-Just, west of Lyon, and in the Puy-de-Dôme department.
“Two officers approached a house just after midnight following an emergency call,” said the investigating source.
"A woman was on the roof screaming for help, and as two gendarmes got close, a man opened fire, killing one officer instantly.
"Another was hit in the thigh and rushed to hospital, where he subsequently died. More officers then arrived, and a man set fire to the house.
“The woman managed to escape, but then there was more shooting, in which another gendarme died, and a fourth was wounded.”
France Shooting: Three Dead in Saint-Just
Many paid tribute to the three police officers on Wednesday.
President Emmanuel Macron tweeted: “They are our heroes.”
London’s Metropolitan Police said "our thoughts are with all of our colleagues from @Gendarmerie today following the tragic death of three officers”.
The suspect, who has not been named, is aged 48, and is known to be involved in a custody battle with his wife.
Interior minister Gerald Darmanin visited the scene of the Saint-Just incident on Wednesday and praised the police officers’ actions.
He said on Twitter: “The nation bows down before their courage and commitment.”