The facts took place around 13 p.m. in front of a private sports complex in the city of Saint-Dionisy, in the Gard, about fifteen kilometers from Nimes. A man in his fifties killed a 27-year-old woman and a 60-year-old man on Saturday, presumably his ex-girlfriend and her new companion, before committing suicide, the prosecutor's office said.
"The first elements make it possible to envisage a double homicide followed by a suicide of the author of this double crime," explained the prosecutor of the Republic of Nimes, Cécile Gensac, in her statement, specifying that "the victims could be the ex-companion (of the shooter) and the new relationship of this one".
The number of femicides has increased
The facts took place "outside the sports hall" of the commune, "by firing firearms (and) in the presence of some witnesses," added the magistrate. "No criminal proceedings were underway for facts relating to relations in the couple" between the shooter, aged 51, and his former companion, added Cécile Gensac.
"At the same time, investigations are underway to reconstruct the family environment and interview witnesses. A medical-psychological emergency unit has been set up for the benefit of witnesses and relatives," she continued. The investigation of flagrance, opened for murders, was entrusted to the research brigade of the gendarmerie of Vauvert and the research section of Nîmes.
The number of femicides increased by 20% in France in 2021 compared to the previous year, with 122 women killed by their spouse or ex-spouse, according to the latest available figures from the Ministry of the Interior.
- Society
- Occitania
- Languedoc-Roussillon
- Femicide
- Suicide