55-year-old shoots 2 people and then himself in Vétroz

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• Several shots have been fired in Vétroz VS.
• A large-scale police operation was launched.
• Three people were killed, including the perpetrator.
• He was unknown to the police and had a permit to carry weapons.
• Initial findings suggest a private dispute as the motive.

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On Sunday morning, a 55-year-old local man shot and killed a woman of the same age and a man of the same age in an apartment in the post office building in Vétroz VS. He then killed himself in his own apartment.

The emergency call about shots fired in Vétroz was received by the alarm center at 7.53 a.m., as Valais police commander Christian Varone told the media in Sion on Sunday afternoon. A large contingent of cantonal, criminal and municipal police was deployed.

The first patrols arrived quickly and cordoned off the area around the post office with the support of the Vétroz municipal police. At around 8.40 a.m., the emergency services found the two victims and secured the crime scene.

The special intervention force was also on site - as is usual in the event of a shooting, as Varone explained. Shortly after the bodies were found, the police cordoned off the area around the suspected perpetrator's home. At 10.00 a.m., the emergency services entered his home and found him dead.

He was a 55-year-old man living in Vétroz. The 55-year-old woman who was killed also lived there and worked for the municipality. The 55-year-old man who was shot dead lived in the canton of Vaud.

Dispute as motive

As Varone went on to explain, the suspected shooter applied for a gun purchase license, which was granted. However, a weapon was not registered to him. The investigation would have to show where the murder weapon came from. The police commander did not give any details about the weapon used. Initial findings suggest a private dispute as the motive.

Attorney General Béatrice Pilloud explained that the perpetrator had entered the woman's apartment and shot at the two people present. He later killed himself. The public prosecutor responsible had initiated proceedings for homicide. The investigation followed various paths. In the afternoon, witness interviews and forensic investigations were underway.

Olivier Cottagnoud, the mayor of Vétroz, expressed his shock, all the more so as the deceased was employed by the municipality. The two dead from Vétroz were "children of the community", integrated and involved in community life. Two bereaved families will be left behind in the village.