35-year-old woman shot dead in Saint-Nazaire, man arrested

A 35-year-old woman was shot dead on Monday, July 22 in Saint-Nazaire (Loire-Atlantique), reports France Bleu Loire Océan. A 24-year-old man was arrested at the scene and taken into custody. The Saint-Nazaire prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation into voluntary homicide.

It was around 5am when the firefighters were called. They were unable to save the victim, who was shot dead in an apartment in a multi-storey building in the Méan-Penhoët district.

According to the first elements of the investigation, the young man arrested lives in the apartment where the drama took place. He was the one who called the firefighters, reporting that he had shot a woman, said the public prosecutor of Saint-Nazaire, Florence Sroda in a press release. He was drunk at the time of his arrest. He is known to the police and the courts for acts including intentional violence. Three weapons, including two firearms, were seized at his home.

The identity of the victim, shot in the chest, is currently being “verified”. The medical examiner confirmed that it was a penetrating wound from a firearm. She will be autopsied on Wednesday in Nantes. “At this stage, the circumstances of the shooting have not been determined”. Witnesses are currently being interviewed. Furthermore, the nature of the link between the person in custody and the victim is unknown at this stage. The investigation has been entrusted to the Saint-Nazaire police station.