Bride shot dead while leaving wedding party in France

Stock image of bride and her groom on their wedding day. Credit: Shutterstock

A fairy-tale wedding turned into a nightare of violence and chaos when a “targeted” ambush shattered the peace of a small French village, leaving a 27-year-old bride dead, a 13-year-old injured, and a manhunt across southeastern France.

On June 22, about 4:30 a.m., the newlyweds – whose names have not been released –packed into their car along with the groom’s sister and a 13-year-old child. The couple was leaving their wedding venue in Goult, a quiet village near Avignon, when four masked gunmen opened fire on their vehicle.

“A vehicle pulled in behind them, blocking their way, with a number of hooded individuals on board,” local prosecutor Florence Galtier said in a statement, per CNN.

“These people then got out of the vehicle and started shooting in the direction of the victims, with what appear to have been various different kinds of weapons,” it continued.

Crushed one suspect

Trying to escape the attack and save his wife along with the passengers, the groom, 25, reversed the car and slammed into one of the suspects – killing him instantly. Sadly, the bride, in the vehicle at the time, was killed by the hail of bullets. The other three were seriously injured, CBS News reports.

According to Le Figaro, Goult Mayor Didier Perello said that the couple had been planning their wedding for months, having booked the venue back in March. The groom, he added, hails from Cavaillon, a town not far from the site of the attack.

“I think it was targeted,” Perello told the outlet. “I’m angry, revolted, and shocked. We are close towns that are unfortunately known for this kind of incident.”

‘Well known to police’

Local reports suggest both the groom and his sister have long criminal records, potentially linking them to the violent underworld that investigators suspect played a role in this horrifying event.

In fact, the groom is “well known to the police,” with a staggering 26 entries in the national Criminal Records Processing file. His record reportedly includes various offenses, though specific details have not been publicly disclosed.

His sister, who was also wounded in the attack, is reportedly known to police for a violent offense, adding another layer of complexity to the investigation.

The bride, however, had no criminal record and was not known to authorities prior to the shooting.

‘Organized gang’

The remaining three assailants fled the scene on foot, sparking a massive manhunt involving helicopters and dozens of officers. By the next evening, two suspects were captured, while one remains at large, according to the BBC.

Police have not released the identities of the suspects or detailed their motivations, but “no theory has been ruled out,” and early investigations point toward drug-related gang violence.

French prosecutors have now officially launched a probe into “murder and attempted murder by an organized gang.”

Now, as the investigation deepens and the final gunman remains at large, one question hangs heavily in the air: Was this a personal vendetta, a gang message, or both? Please let us know what you think!