In France, a pest controller shot his wife in the head, mistaking her for a rat

Circumstances of the incident

In France a professional pest controller seriously wounded his wife with a shot to the head while exterminating rodents, Le Parisien reports. The incident occurred on Saturday, October 24, at around 10:00 p.m. in the industrial zone of Bondoufle in the Essonne department. According to the detained man, he and his 54-year-old wife, who also worked as a pest controller, had volunteered to treat a cold-storage warehouse infested with rodents. The couple chose a radical method — shooting rats with lead pellets from an air rifle.

The victim's condition and the suspect's account

The man told the gendarmes that he heard a noise in the dark and fired. According to media reports, the bullet struck the woman between the eyes. Firefighters and medics found her on the road with a gunshot wound to the head. The victim was taken to the Percy military hospital in Clamart; her condition is described as extremely critical, with reports of possible brain death. The suspect remains in custody and claims that in the dark he mistook his wife for a rat.

Investigation and a previous incident

An investigation has been opened on charges of attempted murder. Investigators are determining whether the shot was truly accidental. According to Gazeta.Ru, this same man had previously wounded five people with a rifle while trying to get rid of a snake. Editorial note: if the previous episode is confirmed, it could become a significant factor in assessing the claim that the shot was accidental; however, the investigation's final conclusions are not yet known.