British Girl, 11, Shot Dead at Family Barbecue, Allegedly Over Land Dispute

Several people were shot at a family barbeque in northwest France, with an 11-year-old girl killed, her parents wounded, possibly over a land dispute with a neighbour.

A shooting took place in the village of Saint-Herbot near the Brittany port city of Brest on Saturday evening which left 11-year-old Solenne Thornon, a British citizen, dead. The girl’s father was described by French broadcaster BFMTV as being in “critical condition” after being shot in the head, and the mother was also injured in the head and back by gunshot wounds.

A second child, an eight-year-old girl, fled the shooting and raised the alarm at a neighbour’s home.

Police arrested a 71-year-old Dutch citizen. According to French reports, the alleged shooter was the family’s neighbour and returned home after committing the act with a shotgun. Prosecutors say they have not yet determined a motive for the crime, but it is alleged the two families had a property dispute that had been ongoing “for several years”.

The shooting took place at a family barbeque, and 11-year-old Solenne is said to have been killed while playing ont he swings in the garden.