17-year-old hit by bullet in critical condition in west France

A 17-year-old boy is in a critical condition after having been hit in the back by a stray bullet during what may have been a hunting accident in Deux-Sèvres (Nouvelle-Aquitaine) today (October 12).

The incident happened at around 11:30 this morning in Saint-Jean-de-Thouars to the north west of Poitiers.

The teenager was hit by a 22mm bullet which tore through his body, reaching his lungs.

He was airlifted to l’Hôpital de Poitiers after emergency services arrived at the scene.

Gendarmes have cordoned off the area, the gun responsible for the shot has been found in a ditch and the person suspected of having fired it has been taken into custody in Thouars, Ouest France reports.

Investigating officers are trying to determine whether the shot was accidental or deliberate, as a hunting association official has pointed out that hunting is not permitted by the Association communale de chasse agréée on Wednesdays.

Two hunting accidents last weekend

This incident comes after a mother and her eight and 10-year-old children were injured 100 metres from their home in a hunting accident on October 9 in Pommiers (Rhône).

All three were hit in the legs by lead shot and were treated in hospital for minor injuries.

The hunter responsible for firing the shots was an 81-year-old, who said that he was blinded by the sun and so did not see the family.

“I saw a hare in the vines. It came out and I shot into the grass and it ricocheted,” he said.

He was taken into custody but then released; his gun has been confiscated and an investigation has been opened.

A man who was out gathering mushrooms was also seriously injured in the stomach on October 9 by a hunter, who was later taken into custody.

The hunter, who said that he confused the 62-year-old with a wild boar, was released yesterday, but has had his guns confiscated and has been banned from hunting.

An operation on the victim’s stomach was successful and he is no longer in a critical condition.

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