A French soldier has died following a head injury sustained during what was described as a game with fellow soldiers at a party. The incident occurred last Saturday at the Percy Military Teaching Hospital in Clamart, located west of Paris.
Brigadier Alexandre Lanckbeen, aged 20, was critically wounded during the event. Reports indicate that the gathering involved alcohol. French prosecutors have detailed that a loaded handgun was discharged amidst a game played by the soldiers, and a bullet struck Lanckbeen in the head.
Loïc Mizon, the military governor of Paris, expressed profound sorrow upon learning of Lanckbeen’s death on Friday, which resulted from his injuries. Mizon conveyed his deepest sympathies to Lanckbeen’s family and friends, assuring them of the armed forces’ complete support through a post on X.
Brigadier Lanckbeen was a member of the 35th Parachute Artillery Regiment, stationed in Tarbes. He had been deployed as part of Operation Sentinelle, an ongoing domestic security initiative.
Details of the Incident
Prosecutors detailed that on Saturday evening, four soldiers residing at Percy Hospital began a game familiar within military circles. This game reportedly involves attempting to disarm a colleague and incapacitate their weapon.
Typically, the weapon is unloaded for such games. However, local media reports suggest the handgun involved in this incident was loaded.
During the course of this game, a shot was fired, striking Lanckbeen in the head.
Legal Proceedings Underway
Three soldiers, also engaged in Operation Sentinelle, appeared before a Paris court on Tuesday in connection with the shooting, according to local media. One soldier has been charged with “violence with a weapon resulting in permanent disability and breaching orders by consuming alcohol.”
The other two soldiers reportedly face charges of “involuntary bodily harm resulting in a work incapacity exceeding three months, through a manifestly deliberate violation of regulatory obligation of safety or caution.” They were also charged with “altering the scene of a crime or offense to obstruct the course of justice.”
Following Lanckbeen’s death, these charges are anticipated to be reclassified. The investigation has been transferred to the criminal investigation service in Hauts-de-Seine.