The alert was given by the mother of the madman who had discovered her son in a drunken state upon returning from Christmas Eve, in Blessy, in Pas-de-Calais. Since midnight, the suicidal man has been holed up in his home with a pellet rifle. The GIGN is in negotiations.
A drunk and disoriented man has been holed up since midnight, this Monday, December 25, at his home in Blessy, a town of 900 inhabitants, near Béthune, in Pas-de-Calais. Armed with a pellet rifle, he shot at the gendarmes and lightly injured three of them.
A significant security system was put in place throughout the day. Around fifty gendarmes cordon off the perimeter. Residents are invited to stay indoors. The public prosecutor’s office and the mayor are on site.
For several hours, several GIGN teams, including the Reims branch, have been taking turns to maintain negotiations with the individual. He threatens to shoot the police and commit suicide. At 6:30 p.m., discussions with the madman were still in progress.
The retrenched man had been found drunk by his mother who was returning from a New Year’s Eve party, and had decided to notify the police. He was alone at home and behaved violently. According to our information, the man has suicidal tendencies and has already tried to end his life. He still bears the scars on his disfigured face.
The madman would not communicate any specific demands or requests to the members of the GIGN. “It’s about someone in distress,” points us to a source.
For the moment, it is impossible to know how long the negotiations will last and whether there will be any intervention from the GIGN. Several factors must be taken into account, including the individual’s state of intoxication and lucidity.