A 27-year-old bride was killed on Sunday when gunmen attacked a wedding party in a village in southeastern France, with one of the assailants also dying during the assault, prosecutors said.
Three other people, including a child, were injured in the attack, which plunged the tiny picturesque village of Goult into shock.
The violence might be linked to possible drug-related score-settling, a source close to the investigation said.
Photo: AFP
At about 4:30am the newlyweds were leaving the party when they were confronted by masked assailants who opened fire.
The deceased are the bride and one of the attackers, who was hit “in return,” Avignon Prosecutor Florence Galtier said without providing further details.
According to earlier information, the attacker was run over by the bride and groom’s car.
Three people were injured. Of them, the 25-year-old groom and a 13-year-old who was in the couple’s car had serious injuries.
The attackers, who arrived by car, carried several weapons, Galtier said.
They fled on foot after the attack, he said.
A total of 28 people were present in the village hall at the time of the attack, police said. The authorities have opened an investigation into murder and attempted murder by an organized gang.
Several police cars blocked access to the scene of the tragedy on Sunday morning.
“I’m angry. I’m outraged,” Goult Mayor Didier Perello told reporters.
Perello did not rule out possible score-settling.
“I’m ruling nothing out. Absolutely nothing,” he said. “We’re close to towns, I won’t name them, where unfortunately, we’ve already seen this kind of thing before.”
Dozens of police and a helicopter were mobilized to track down the gunmen.
The village hall had been booked by the couple in March, Perello said.
“The village hall had been rented for a wedding by people who don’t live in the commune,” he said.
Guillaume Molinas, 50, said he feared that the tragedy would “give the village a bad name.”
“The last major incident in the village was 125 years ago,” the owner of a restaurant said.
The French government has vowed to intensify the fight against narcotics and drug-related crime.
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