Helric Fredou, a 45-year-old French police commissioner, shot and killed himself in his office, just after meeting with the family of one of the Paris terrorist victims.
Fredou had served as deputy director of the regional police in Limoges, in central France. Mediaite reported that he had been in the middle of helping investigate the terror attacks at Charlie Hebdo, and was in midst of wrapping up a report with the family of one of the victims, when he committed suicide by shooting himself in the head.
Local police union representatives said that Fredou had already been under considerable stress when the terrorist attacks occurred, and that he was believed to have been suffering from depression, Mediaite said. Still, the community was in shock.
“We are all shocked,” the spokesman said, Mediaite reported. “Nobody was ready for such developments.”
Fredou killed himself last week but news of his death was just making media rounds.
France, meanwhile, reported that Fredou had actually found the body of one of his colleagues in his office a year earlier. The colleague had committed suicide the same way — with a bullet to the head, the news outlet said.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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