Brittany shooting: suspect held under investigation for murder after girl, 11, from British family shot dead

French police have held a suspect under investigation for murder after an 11-year-old girl from a British family was shot dead in Brittany.

Solaine Thornton was reportedly shot while she was playing in her garden as her family were enjoying a barbeque on Saturday evening (10 June) in Saint-herbot, a village near the city of Quimper in the western province of Brittany. It is understood that the shooting took place following an ongoing dispute between neighbours.

Prosecutors have held the suspect, 71-year-old Dutch national Dirk Raats, under investigation for murder. His wife was also arrested by police, but was later released.

The girl’s parents were also hurt in the incident. Her father is in a critical condition while her mother’s injuries are non-life-threatening, according to local media. Her eight-year-old sister is also said to have been left in “shock”.

According to prosecutors, the suspect came within 10 meters of her father before shooting through a hedge. Prosecutor Camille Miansoni said: "It appears that he clearly aimed at the father, that he aimed at his wife, but however he seems less clear as to a possible admission that he aimed at the girl."

The UK Foreign Office has confirmed it is providing assistance to the girl’s family. A spokesperson said: “We are providing consular assistance to a British family following a shooting in France and are in contact with the local authorities.”

Carine Halley, the state prosecutor in Quimper, said the 11-year-old girl was dead and her father, who is about 40-years-old, was seriously injured when police arrived and was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

She added that the attacker’s motive is not yet known but it appears the two neighbours had been involved in a long-running dispute over a plot of land adjoining their properties for several years.

The Intervention Group of the National Gendarmerie tactical unit was called to the scene and a negotiator persuaded the neighbour and his wife to give themselves up before they were arrested, the prosecutor reportedly said.

A local resident told French media that the younger child raised the alarm, running to neighbours shouting: “My sister is dead, my sister is dead”.

The Times said the family-of-four are believed to have lived in their current home for about four or five years and that the two girls were born in France.

Marguerite Bleuzen, the mayor of the nearby village of Plonevez-du-Faou, is reported to have said the family were well-known and came to the village fete.