The French army chief of staff resigned on Tuesday two days after a soldier injured 17 people when he mistakenly opened fire with live ammunition during a display at an army base, the Presidency said.
President Nicolas Sarkozy vowed severe punishment following the shooting, which took place as hundreds of people watched a mock hostage rescue operation on Sunday near the south-western city of Carcassonne.
“The president of the republic, head of the armed forces, has accepted the offer of resignation by General Bruno Cuche, chief of staff of the army,” Sarkozy’s office said in a statement on Tuesday.
“This powerful gesture follows the tragedy that occurred last Sunday in Carcassonne,” it said.
Fifteen bystanders, including five children, were shot during the display, as were two soldiers. A three-year-old boy was in serious condition after taking bullets in the heart and in the arm.
The 28-year-old sergeant who fired the shots from his assault rifle was being held in custody and was expected to be charged Tuesday with causing unintentional injury.
The sergeant has been described as an experienced soldier with no history of psychological problems.
After visiting the wounded children in hospital on Monday, Sarkozy said the shooting did not appear to be criminal but was the result of “unacceptable negligence”, for which he promised a “rapid and severe response”.
Sarkozy’s office said he was “closely following the various investigations” and that “he intends for the armed forces to draw full consequences in terms of organisation and operations”. — AFP