Oise: man in his fifties charged after shooting at suspected burglar
A 54-year-old man opened fire on individuals fleeing a neighbouring property in Cormeilles, seriously wounding a 21-year-old. He is facing charges of attempted murder.
Shots fired at suspected burglars in Cormeilles: 54-year-old man charged
A 54-year-old man has been charged with attempted murder after opening fire multiple times on individuals he suspected of burgling his neighbours' property in Cormeilles, in the Oise. Google News FR — Crime (fr) reported that the Senlis public prosecutor's office announced the facts on Saturday 30 August, confirming information from Courrier picard.
The events date back to 27 August. Alerted by noises coming from a neighbouring property, the man in his fifties seized a firearm before heading to the scene. He then spotted several individuals, "clearly burglars", who were leaving the plot, according to the prosecutor's office.
The man opened fire multiple times while pursuing the suspects, who nevertheless managed to reach their vehicle and flee.
Victim found seriously wounded in the Somme
A 21-year-old young man was discovered seriously wounded in Assainvilliers, in the Somme, about thirty kilometres from Cormeilles. According to Courrier picard, he was allegedly left on the roadway by a vehicle before several people drove away. "The victim, wounded in particular in the chest area, was taken care of by emergency services," the public prosecutor specified.
Gendarmes subsequently established a link between this discovery and the shots fired a few hours earlier in the Oise.
Admits firing, denies any intent to kill
The man in his fifties, with no criminal record, was taken into police custody on the evening of 27 August. He admitted to opening fire, but denied any intent to kill. Charged by an investigating judge in the criminal division of Senlis, he was placed under judicial supervision.
His solicitor contests the charge brought. "He fired at the ground to make them leave," he explained, arguing that pellets had struck the victim in the legs before ricocheting towards the chest. "My client has been a hunter for forty years: if he had wanted to kill him, he would have been able to kill him. That was not the case, there is no intent to kill," he continued.
The solicitor intends to petition the court of appeal to challenge this criminal charge, which carries a sentence of up to thirty years' imprisonment.
Precedent in the Rhône
This case echoes a similar case that occurred in February in the Rhône, where a man in his sixties, suspected of killing a burglar, had also been charged before being released under judicial supervision.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)