French Woman Shot, Burned Alive In Broad Daylight By Estranged Husband

A 31-year-old French mother of three was shot and burned alive by her estranged husband in broad daylight, authorities announced Thursday.

Witnesses of the incident reportedly heard screams and gunshots before seeing the woman fall to the ground with wounds in her thighs at approximately 6 p.m. on Tuesday on a street in Mérignac, near the city of Bordeaux, CNN reported, citing a statement from prosecutor Frederique Porterie.

The woman, identified by authorities as Chahinez B., was chased down the street and shot in her legs before she was doused by her estranged 44-year-old husband with a flammable liquid and set alight, according to a report by French outlet France24.

"As it stands, we can assume that the perpetrator shot the victim and that the victim was still alive when he immolated her," Porterie was quoted by CNN as saying.

The husband, identified as Mounir B., was arrested shortly after the incident. He was charged with voluntary homicide and other charges relating to the fire, according to the prosecutor.

Porterie said Mounir had seven previous convictions, including a charge last year for domestic violence. He was released in December after a brief prison sentence and was ordered not to have any contact with his wife. However, the man admitted to contacting his estranged wife several times and that she filed a complaint of aggression against him in March, according to Porterie.

The prosecutor alleged that Mounir believed Chahinez had been unfaithful to him and "decided to punish [her] for the endured sufferings" but had not intended to kill her.

The woman's house was partially burned down during the incident, Porterie said.

The couple's children, aged 3, 7 and 11, were not at home at the time of the attack, according to France24's report. The three, who lived with their mother, are reportedly receiving trauma counseling following the incident.

Local authorities have also set up a counseling service for the witnesses of the killing.

Hundreds gathered in Mérignac Wednesday evening to pay tribute to the victim, the BBC reported.

France introduced measures against femicide after thousands took to the streets to protest the gender-based violence in 2019. Following their introduction, the number of women killed by their partners in 2020 went down from 146 in the previous year to 90. Rights groups, however, said it was too early to determine if the trend will continue.