It was a night of terror on Sunday in Igny for the firefighters, who had set out on what was supposed to be a ‘routine’ call-out: a person in distress. A call alerted them to a neighbour’s suicidal behaviour. The firefighters went to the scene. There were three of them. They rang the doorbell of the man who was threatening to take his own life. They called out to him. No one answered. They went round the house and entered through a window.
At that moment, the man attempting suicide turned to face them. He brandished a machete and tried to strike the first of the firefighters. The firefighter, acting on instinct, managed to step back far enough to avoid the circular swing of the blade, which passed just a few centimetres from him. The three firefighters immediately fled. The man, meanwhile, threatened them and pointed a firearm in their direction. He fired twice.