A French police commissioner has reportedly taken his own life after meeting relatives of a victim murdered in the Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack.
Helric Fredou, age 45, shot himself with his police-issued gun on Wednesday night in his Limoges office, France 3 reported.
Fredou began his as an officer in 1997 and took the position of deputy director of the regional police in 2012.
His colleagues reported that Commissioner Fredou was “depressed” and overworked.
He was single and had no children.
France’s national police union said on Thursday morning in a statement:
“It is with great sadness that we were informed this morning of the death of our colleague Helric Fredou, assigned as Deputy Director of the Regional Service Judicial Police in Limoges.
“On this particular day of national mourning, police commissioners are new both hit hard by the tragic death of one of their own.
“The Union of Commissioners of the National Police would like to present its most sincere condolences to the relatives of Helric.
“In these difficult times, we have a special thought for all his colleagues and classmates, many of which we expressed their emotion and grief.
“We will keep you informed of how his funeral will be organized and the initiatives we take to honor his memory and support his family.”
Exactly what drove the commissioner to end his life has not yet been determined.
