Police link third murder to deadly shootings at French employment agency

Police investigating two fatal shootings at an employment center and garbage collection company in Valence, south-eastern France, added a third murder and attempted murder earlier in the week to the ‘investigation.

Bullet casings found near Estelle Luce’s body in a parking lot in the city of Wolfgantzen correspond to the 9 mm weapon which would have been used by the suspect Gabriel Fortin in the murders of Patricia Pasquion and Geraldine Caclin on Thursday.

Luce, 39, who was responsible for human resources at Knauf, was shot three times on Tuesday at close range.

Shortly after the murder, Fortin went to the Wattwiller house of Luce’s former boss in Emerson.

Impersonating a pizza delivery boy, he allegedly shot the man, but the bullet hit the door. A blocked weapon prevented further fire and a brawl ensued.

Escape

Fortin escaped, but lost a number of personal belongings, including his face mask and cap. DNA analysis confirmed the link.

It is understood that Luce and her former boss were commissioned to carry out a restructuring and relocation operation at Emerson from 2006 in which Fortin lost his job.

Luce’s name circulated on social networks via the hashtag #BalancetonDRH to complain about the working methods of human resources departments in large companies.

She had incurred the wrath of the trolls following a dismissal program in 2009 within the company Emerson in the suburb of Chartres.

Pasquion, 53, was shot dead at the Valencia employment center. Caclin, 51, died after being shot in Guilherand-Granges.