A firefighter was shot and seriously wounded while responding to a vehicle fire near Marseille, according to the first elements of the investigation. Authorities are examining the possibility that the suspect intentionally caused the blaze and then opened fire on the emergency crew.
The incident occurred at around 4 p.m. on Sunday at the edge of the Plan-de-Campagne commercial area in Les Pennes-Mirabeau, between Marseille and Aix-en-Provence. Firefighters had been called to extinguish a vehicle fire that had spread to nearby vegetation.
An emergency crew arrived quickly at the scene. Julien Marion, director general of civil security and risk management, said the firefighters were met with gunfire as they arrived.
One of those injured was a 53-year-old warrant officer assigned to the Les Pennes-Mirabeau fire station. He also served as a volunteer firefighter at another station in the Bouches-du-Rhône department. He was seriously wounded while carrying out his duties.
The suspect is described in the initial investigation as having psychological disorders. The available information does not establish further details about the suspect or the circumstances surrounding the shooting.
Sources: Le Figaro.