Police (illustration). – NICOLAS MESSYASZ / SIPA
- A 31-year-old woman was shot in the legs by gunfire before being burned alive Tuesday evening in Mérignac, near Bordeaux.
- His ex-companion, already convicted in 2020 for domestic violence on the victim, was arrested and placed in police custody.
- The three children of the victim, not present at the time of the facts, were the subject of psychological care.
“A woman victim of domestic violence was burned alive yesterday, in the middle of the street, in Mérignac. All my thoughts are with her children, her family and her who lived through the horror, ”reacted on Wednesday on Twitter Harmonie Lecerf, deputy mayor of Bordeaux in charge of access to rights and solidarity.
A woman victim of domestic violence was burned alive yesterday, in the middle of the street, in Mérignac
All my thoughts are with her children, her family and her who lived through the horror.– 🌻 Harmonie Lecerf 🌻 (@ Ecolaw2) May 5, 2021
On Tuesday, a 31-year-old young woman, mother of three children aged 5, 7 and 13, was killed in a street near her home in Mérignac, near Bordeaux. The Bordeaux prosecutor’s office delivers this Wednesday some elements on the investigation which implicates his ex-companion, already convicted of domestic violence.
At 6:10 p.m., several detonations and cries were heard, avenue Carnot in Mérignac. “Two witnesses saw a woman fall to the ground on the public highway, hit in the thighs, obviously pursued by a man, details the Bordeaux prosecutor’s office in a press release. While the victim was on the ground, the individual took a can from a van parked nearby, sprayed the woman with liquid and set her on fire. “
The man was armed when he was arrested
The victim’s home was located a few hundred meters from the scene of the tragedy and was discovered partly burned down but empty of any occupant. “The children were not at home at the time of the events, the two youngest being in a childcare facility, the oldest with a friend. They were the subject of psychological care by the SAMU, ”said the prosecutor who came to the scene. “The whole neighborhood is shocked, a white march is being organized,” comments Alain Anziani, mayor (PS) of Mérignac. A psychological unit was opened for the children and then for the inhabitants ”. Some residents have indeed witnessed the scene.
The victim’s ex-companion was arrested by the BAC services at 6:45 p.m. in the town of Pessac, near Mérignac. “The person was carrying a 12 caliber rifle, a gas pistol and a cartridge belt. He is in custody at this time, ”said the prosecution.
Sentenced in 2020 for willful violence
The man in question is already known to the police. He was sentenced on June 25, 2020 by the Bordeaux Criminal Court as part of an immediate appearance “for willful violence by spouse (on the same victim) to the sentence of 18 months including nine months accompanied by a probationary suspension for two years with a warrant of committal issued at the hearing, ”adds the prosecution.
A major neighborhood investigation was launched and a medico-psychological unit set up in response to the commotion aroused by the crime. The open investigation of the count of intentional homicide by spouse and destruction by fire was entrusted to the departmental directorate of public security.
A march is organized by a collective fighting against violence against women this Wednesday evening at 6 p.m., in Mérignac.