On Saturday evening in a small French village in Allier, a family birthday party took a devastating turn as a neighbour opened fire on the party, killing three people, before turning the gun on himself.
A family celebration was taking place in the village of Espinasse-Vozelle, a few kilometers west of Vichy, for a young man's twentieth birthday on Saturday evening. Around 9.30pm, a neighbour who was not attending the family party, approached the path leading from his home to the house where the party was being held and opened fire, stated Jérôme Piques, the prosecutor of Moulins, to Agence France Presse (AFP).
The neighbour shot the young man whose birthday was being celebrated, his father, and a guest. The shooter is unknown to the police and justice officials, the prosecutor shared, adding that no exchange of gunfire occurred. The prosecutor also mentioned that the shooter used a pellet gun.
The Cusset prosecutor, Eric Neveu, told AFP that four people are in emergency care after the incident, but their injuries are not life threatening. They have been hospitalised in Vichy.
Neveu was unable to provide further comments on the circumstances of the incident.
Probable suicide
"The most probable theory is that the assailant turned the gun on himself after shooting his victims", declared Piques. According to the prefecture, a total of four people died and four were injured in the incident: "There are also about another fifteen people involved, witnesses of the incident, who are receiving psychological support."
"It's a devastating event. Nothing can prepare you for it. It's an absolute tragedy," said Michel Marien, the Mayor of the village, which has about a thousand residents. "This is a shock. A family tragedy that has left a mark on the whole community. We feel helpless. My job is to bring people together ... but right now, I feel powerless," he added, in an interview with La Montagne.
The prefect of Allier, Pascale Trimbach, told AFP that "very significant resources", including firefighters and police officers, were deployed to the scene. A simultaneous village festival, which was taking place with fireworks alongside the private party where the shooting occurred, was halted, with participants being kept on site.
Following the shooting, the mayor activated a safety plan in the village hall where a psychological support unit was set up for the family members and neighbours who were affected by the shooting.
The safety plan was lifted during the night, as noted by an AFP journalist, with the village returning to its usual calm.
In a message issued on the social network X, formerly Twitter, the Allier prefecture specified that local firefighters and emergency medical services, as well as security forces, "were immediately deployed under the authority of the prefecture".
The deputy prefect of Vichy went to the scene, and a Medical and Psychological Emergency Unit (CUMP) was deployed, according to the message. "In these tragic circumstances, all our thoughts and support go out to the victims and their families", added the prefecture.
