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French soldier fatally shot during military drinking game
A 20-year-old French paratrooper died Friday from a gunshot wound sustained during an alcohol-fueled party at a military hospital near Paris, prosecutors confirmed.
Incident details
Brigadier Alexandre Lanckbeen was critically injured last Saturday when a loaded handgun discharged during a military game at Percy Military Teaching Hospital in Clamart, a suburb west of Paris.
The game, known among soldiers for disarming colleagues, typically uses unloaded weapons. However, the firearm involved in this incident was loaded, according to local media reports.
Military response
Loïc Mizon, the military governor of Paris, expressed his condolences on X (formerly Twitter), calling Lanckbeen's death a tragedy.
"I learned with deep sadness of the passing of this young soldier. My deepest compassion goes to his family and loved ones, and they have the full support of the armed forces."
Loïc Mizon, Military Governor of Paris
Legal proceedings
Three soldiers involved in the incident appeared in a Paris court Tuesday. One faces charges of "violence with a weapon resulting in permanent disability" and violating alcohol consumption rules during duty.
The other two were charged with "involuntary bodily harm" and "obstructing justice by altering the crime scene." Prosecutors indicated the charges may be upgraded following Lanckbeen's death.
Background
Lanckbeen served with the 35th Parachute Artillery Regiment in Tarbes and was deployed as part of Operation Sentinelle, France's domestic security mission. The investigation has been transferred to the criminal investigation service in Hauts-de-Seine.
