A MONSTUOUS killer who slaughtered his whole family launched a 'relentless' attack on his little brother, five, in case that has horrified France.

The 22-year-old, identified as Mathieu Darbon, was shot dead by French police in the village of Douvres after he killed his dad, step-mum, and three siblings, using a long-barrelled gun and a katana, a long Japanese sword.

Investigators said Darbon used excessive force against the victims – particularly on his five-year-old step brother.

All were stabbed by a bladed weapon, with some of the bodies showing wounds consistent with gun shots, forensic evidence showed.

Findings also showed a very large number of stab wounds received by the little boy.

"It was relentless," Bourg-en-Bresse prosecutor Christophe Rode said.

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The victims have now been identified as the killer's dad, Lilian Darbon, 51, his 45-year-old step-mother Nathalie Jullion, his 17-year-old biological sister, 15-year-old step-sister and the five year-old, Lilian and Nathalie's son.

According to the initial findings of the investigation, the killer may have suffered with psychiatric problems.

The young man had been receiving treatment for his psychiatric issues and had shown "signs of nervousness" when he had stopped his medication, Le Parisien reported citing police sources.

Christian Limousin, the mayor of Douvres, confirmed the alleged attacker was from the father's previous marriage.

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The family had moved to Douvres in July last year, but the 22-year-old had only recently been staying in the house after securing a new job at McDonalds in a nearby town, Limousin said.

The father was running a local construction company, according to Le Progres.

The stepmother was a project officer in a fraud prevention at the CPAM, in the Ain's local office of the national health insurance administration.

Armed cops were alerted about a potential hostage situation on Tuesday around 11.30pm and tried to negotiate with the captor until the arrival of a French elite police tactical unit – known as the GIGN -shortly before 7am on Wednesday.

Described by the Public Prosecutor as "determined", the killer is said to have phoned the local police on Tuesday evening to announce that he had killed his family with the katana, Le Parisien said.

He also allegedly sent a video of the victims to his mum without any explanation, the newspaper also said.

His mum immediately contacted the police station in Annemasse (Haute-Savoie).

A long negotiation took place before the assault on the "madman" was ordered at midday on Wednesday.

"Despite several attempts to get the individual to lay down his arms and despite an electric pulse pistol, the madman pointed his weapons and advanced towards the gendarmes, who then used their weapons four times, causing serious injuries.”

The GIGN took the decision to shoot the man after being "faced with the possible dangerousness of the character", a source told AFP.

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Prosecutor Rode said: "For several hours during the night and the morning of July 20, the gendarmes tried to get in touch with the madman who refused to answer the telephone calls of the gendarmes as well as the direct contacts attempted by the negotiators.

A second investigation will focus on the GIGN's use of weapons.

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