A police officer shoots dead a man armed with a 60-centimeter katana in France

An agent of the French Police has killed this Monday an “aggressive” individual and armed with a katana or Japanese saber Isbergues, in the Calais region, in the north of France.

The agents responded to a call for a neighborhood conflict, but they found a man of about 66 years of age with violent behavior. One of the agents opened fire with his service weapon and mortally wounded the individual, who was carrying a katana more than 60 centimeters in length, reports the local press.

The incident occurred around 11:00 a.m. when the agents mobilized in response to a dispute with “an individual who threatened his neighbor,” according to the Béthune prosecutor's office.

The man did not go back despite the orders of the agents, so one of them fired twice. The second shot fatally hit the abdomen of the man, who died in his own garden despite the rapid intervention of the emergency services.

There are currently two investigations open.. One refers to an “attempted assassination of persons with public authority and threats to the neighbours” in the hands of the Lille Investigation Section.. The other is for “voluntary violence resulting in death” by the General Inspectorate of the National Gendarmerie.. The officer who opened fire is in custody.