The man who killed three gendarmes in Saint-Just (Puy-de-Dôme) on the night of December 22 to 23 had trapped the vehicle near which he was found dead, said the Clermont-Ferrand prosecutor's office on Thursday, December 31. .
To read also: Puy-de-Dôme: Arno Mavel, Cyrille Morel and Rémi Dupuis, three gendarmes "in charge of families"
Investigators discovered that a weapon had been placed in the vehicle, the barrel pointed towards the right front door.
The trigger was to be activated in the event of the door opening thanks to a tensor system, said the prosecution confirming information from
BFMTV
.
In addition, the autopsy showed that Frédérik L. had committed suicide, added the prosecution.
The night of the tragedy, the 48-year-old man had shot dead three gendarmes and seriously injured a fourth, intervened to help his companion, victim of domestic violence and who had taken refuge on the roof of the house.
Heavily armed, the man set fire to the building and then fled in his vehicle before being found dead, a gun in his hand and another not far from him, about 1.5 kilometers from his home.
The Minister of the Interior Gerald Darmanin, accompanied by his counterpart in the Armies Florence Parly, greeted Monday "
the noble sacrifice
" of the three gendarmes, during a national tribute ceremony in Ambert (Puy-de-Dôme).