British schoolgirl, 11, shot dead in Brittany, France, after neighbor argued over barbecue
British schoolgirl, 11, shot dead and her father left fighting for his life in France after neighbors argued at a barbecue
- The shooting reportedly happened while the family was near the barbecue in their garden
- Solenne Thornon was playing when a neighbor opened fire with a revolver
An 11-year-old British girl has been shot dead and her parents seriously injured in a gun attack on a family barbecue following an alleged row between neighbors in Brittany, north-western France.
Solenne Thornon died after coming under fire from a neighbor brandishing a revolver in the hamlet of Saint-Herbot, Brittany, on Saturday night.
Four members of the Thornon family were home at the time: Solenne, her eight-year-old sister Celeste, and her parents Adrien and Rachel Thornon.
The schoolgirl’s parents were also injured in the shooting, which reportedly took place as the family gathered around a barbecue in their garden.
Her father is said to be in critical condition after suffering a head injury, while her mother sustained minor injuries but was also critically injured.
The couple’s eight-year-old daughter escaped unharmed and fled to a neighbor, reports said.
“There was an argument between neighbors and a gun was pulled out,” says an investigative source.
“They had been fighting for many years over a piece of land adjacent to the two properties,” the source added.
The incident took place on Saturday evening in Saint-Herbot, a small village near Quimper in the Finistere department (file image shows the chapel in the hamlet)
Tensions were clearly reaching boiling point. The older girl was shot dead and her parents were seriously injured,” he said.
“The father suffered a head injury and is in a critical condition in hospital, while the mother is also very seriously injured.
“The youngest child is the only one who was unharmed and managed to flee to another neighbor’s house.”
The shooting took place on Saturday evening in Saint-Herbot, a small village near Quimper in the Finistere department.
The local prosecutor said the main suspect, a 71-year-old Dutch man who also lived in the village, is in custody.
“The reasons for this tragedy are not yet known. It seems that there has been a conflict between the two neighbors for years over a piece of land adjacent to the two properties,” Carine Halley said on Sunday.
Marguerite Bleuzen, the mayor of the municipality of Plonévez-du-Faou, said: ‘We knew the family well. Every year there is a village festival and they always came.
“It is incomprehensible that you shot a child. No one can understand how that could have happened.’
The Foreign Office said it was providing assistance to a British family following a shooting in France.
This is a breaking news story, more to follow…