Stenay (Meuse): Man threatening with sabre dies following gendarme intervention
A man armed with a sabre who had been terrorising the neighbourhood for several weeks died on Sunday in Stenay following a gendarme intervention during which shots were fired.
Fatal gendarme intervention in Meuse
According to Actu17, a man who was threatening residents with a blade died on Sunday in Stenay (Meuse) following a gendarme intervention during which shots were fired. Barricaded in his accommodation after striking a serviceman, he was found dead several hours later. An autopsy is to determine the causes of death.
The Verdun prosecutor's office is investigating the circumstances of his death.
Threatening behaviour reported for weeks
According to mayor Romuald Collet, the man had recently settled on Rue Aristide-Briand, in the heart of the town, and had already threatened residents with a blade on several occasions. A property agency had alerted the town hall as early as 25 October about the concerning behaviour of this new resident, a report passed to the gendarmerie. A first intervention had taken place on Saturday evening.
On Sunday morning, the owner of the restaurant Le Chanzy, located opposite the building, alerted the servicemen again. Élodie Bourdin claims to have seen the man make threats, equipped with a weapon she describes as "a machete as long as his arm". For three weeks, she says, this man "was talking to himself, screaming in the streets and walking around with a knife".
Neutralisation by firearms
Upon arrival, the gendarmes found themselves facing the man armed with a blade. According to the mayor, the servicemen first attempted to neutralise him with an electrical impulse gun (Taser), but without success. They then returned fire with a firearm. According to a source close to the investigation cited by the AFP, the man had struck one of the gendarmes, and at least one colleague opened fire.
The gunman then barricaded himself in his accommodation. A significant deployment was set up in the town centre. The servicemen entered his flat in the middle of the afternoon, where they discovered him dead.
Cause of death to be determined
An autopsy is underway to establish precisely the causes of death. According to the AFP, initial findings did not allow confirmation with certainty that the death was linked to the gunfire. The Verdun prosecutor's office has not yet commented on the investigation.
Source: Actu17