Five people were shot dead, including three children, in a horrifying “hostage situation” in France.
A man in his twenties, according to reports from the local media, was shot after allegedly killing five members of his family that he had been holding hostage since Tuesday night.
In the eastern town of Douvres, close to Ambérieu in the Ain department, the 22-year-old allegedly murdered his father, his stepmother, and three children—two girls, ages 17 and 15, and a young boy, age 5—as well as himself.
The individual, whose identity has not yet been made public, had taken up residence in the household.
Before being fatally shot by the Special French Force, known as the GIGN, the young man chased after the family’s five members, according to Douvres mayor Christian Limousin.
According to a source who spoke to Agence France Presse, the GIGN decided to kill the individual after considering his potential danger.
Prior to the arrival of the GIGN team sent from Dijon this morning around 07:00am, the gendarmes attempted to communicate with the suspected captor after receiving a warning about a possible hostage scenario on Tuesday around 11:30pm.
Before the attack on the “madman” was launched at noon, there was a protracted dialogue.
A year prior, the family had relocated to Douvres.
According to France3, the neighborhood café La Babillière said that the grandmother had called them to inquire about her daughter, who had been dead for 24 hours.
The store has now been temporarily closed, according to the establishment’s managers, “in light of the occurrences.”
According to local media, portions of the town are still off-limits, and police are still stationed all around the house.
The Ain Public Prosecutor has not yet provided a statement regarding the matter.
