Woman killed by gunfire in Plourin-Lès-Morlaix, gunman in critical condition after suicide attempt
A woman in her sixties was shot dead on Friday in Finistère by an armed neighbour. The suspect, seriously wounded to the head, was airlifted in a very critical condition.
Fatal shooting in Plourin-Lès-Morlaix: neighbour opens fire, woman loses her life
According to actu.orange.fr, a woman of approximately sixty years old was killed on Friday afternoon in Plourin-Lès-Morlaix, in Finistère, by an armed neighbour also in his sixties. Her partner, aged approximately 55, was also hit by gunfire upon his arrival at the scene, but his condition is not life-threatening.
The public prosecutor of Brest, Stéphane Kellenberger, clarified in a statement that the suspect had "a wound to the head", which "suggests a suicide attempt on his part". The man, born in 1962, was discovered "unconscious and armed" by gendarmes before being airlifted to a hospital in a "very critical" condition.
Three gunshots reported to gendarmes
Around 2.00 p.m., three "gunshots" spaced "a few minutes apart" were reported to gendarmes and emergency services. The latter intervened urgently and discovered the lifeless body of the victim on the external staircase of the building. The suspect was then barricaded under this staircase, armed.
The victim's partner, himself seriously wounded, was treated on site. According to prosecutor Kellenberger, he had been hit when he "arrived on the scene". The two victims turned out to be neighbours of the suspect.
Fifty gendarmes mobilised, including the GIGN from Nantes
The gendarmerie mobilised around fifty officers at the scene, including the GIGN unit from Nantes and three negotiators. The neighbourhood, a residential area mixing individual houses and single-storey apartment buildings, was sealed off for several hours. A helicopter made a round trip in the sector before the arrival of a bomb disposal team, shortly before 7.00 p.m.
The town hall opened a municipal hall to accommodate residents unable to return to their homes. A medical and psychological support cell was also set up. The security perimeter was lifted around 8.00 p.m., according to the Finistère prefecture.
Lead of a neighbourhood dispute
Monique Bourven, the sister of a direct neighbour of the gunman, told an AFP journalist: "Probably it was a neighbourhood dispute. Maybe they were making noise or something. No matter, we don't really know, I won't venture too far into it."
The public prosecutor's office opened an investigation for murder and attempted murder "in light of the initial evidence obtained".
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)