Dutchman regrets shooting, killing 11-year-old girl in France, lawyer says
The 71-year-old Dutchman who shot and killed his 11-year-old neighbor in the French town of Saint-Herbot in Britanny last week “regrets the consequences of his act,” his lawyer said. The man was allegedly under the influence of drugs and alcohol when he killed the girl and wounded her parents, RTL Nieuws reports.
The 11-year-old girl was playing in the garden with her 8-year-old sister when the Dutchman suddenly fired several shots in their direction. The older girl was fatally hit and died at the scene. Her parents, who were also in the yard, also got hit. The father was severely hurt, and the mother suffered minor injuries. The younger girl was physically unharmed.
According to locals, the Dutchman had been feuding with his neighbors for some time.
“My client has never had contact with the law before. He regrets the consequences of his act, the motive and circumstances of which have yet to be investigated,” lawyer Anne Guillerme said.
A resident of the street where the incident happened told News 24 that he was watching TV with his wife when they heard gunshots. “That surprised me, so I went outside,” he said. “I saw the younger of the two girls running towards me. She went to my neighbors, whom she knows better. She screamed that her sister was dead. I went to their yard and saw her older sister’s body. I couldn’t do anything more for her. She was dead.”
The police arrested the Dutchman and his wife but released the woman again after questioning. They have been living in Britanny for three years. The victims, a British family, lived there for five years.
