The French town of Montriond has temporarily banned all hunting as officials investigate the gunman on suspicion of aggravated manslaughter.
Marc Sutton was riding along a popular mountain bike track Saturday evening when he was shot and killed by a hunting party, Sky News reported.
French prosecutor Philippe Toccanier told reporters the 34-year-old restaurant owner was “wearing a colored helmet and riding a colored mountain bike” at the time. He went on to say Sutton “couldn’t be confused with game” as he passed through the woods near a hunting party.
The BBC reported a 22-year-old man, believed to be responsible, was taken to a local hospital for shock. Authorities are currently investigating the man, whose identity they didn’t release, for aggravated manslaughter, according to reports.
Following the incident, Montriond Mayor Georges Lagrange imposed a temporary ban on all hunting activities in the area following public outcry, according to the French paper Le Dauphiné Libéré.
“We simply need to ask for a security buffer around areas where there are people, the risk of lost or ricochet bullet may be prevented if a sufficient distance from the bullets that go the farther is respected,” wrote one supporter of the Facebook group “Changeons Le Decret Chasse De Montriond/morzine *this Can’t Happen Again,” which pushed for the ban.
Sutton was born in Wales but ran a restaurant just a few miles from where he was killed.
