Hunter Shoots Cyclist Dead

A prosecutor says a hunter shot and killed a 34-year-old bicyclist in the French Alps in what appears to be an accident, the AP reports. Thonon-Les-Bains prosecutor Philippe Toccanier says the 22-year-old hunter was hospitalized for shock after the Saturday evening shooting and couldn't be taken into custody while he is investigated on suspicion of aggravated manslaughter. The victim—identified by the BBC as Wales ex-pat Marc Sutton—was said to be cycling down a mountain at around 6pm when he passed near a group of about 10 game hunters.

Toccanier says the cyclist certainly "couldn't be confused with game, as he had a colored helmet and a colored mountain bike." Britain's Foreign Office says it's "in contact with the local authorities" and providing assistance to the dead man's family. But in one French Facebook group, the outrage is palpable: "This has to be stopped," reads a post calling for an immediate ban on hunting. "There are no excuses. People's lives are shattered." Indeed, over 20 people have been killed in hunting accidents in France over the last three years. Sutton was an avid snowboarder who opened a restaurant in the town of Le Gets earlier this year. "I still can't believe that this is ours!" he wrote on Facebook. "Hard work does pay off and dreams do come true."

(More France stories.)