(Adnkronos) – A 76-year-old French pensioner shot down a drone that had been sent to check the condition of the roof of a public building in Nohic, Tarn-et-Garonne. The man, a resident of the area, said he was convinced that the aircraft was being used by criminals to carry out reconnaissance and identify sites to rob. Bfmtv reports this. Around 2:30 PM, the aircraft, operating on behalf of the Municipality, was transmitting information on the condition of the roofs of public buildings when it was shot down with a single shot. “Everything was proceeding normally until it flew over the town hall,” Mayor Julien Castagne told La Dépêche.
The shooter was quickly identified as a 76-year-old resident, convinced that the drone was flying over his property to carry out a reconnaissance for future robberies. “He is a kind person, but he panicked,” the mayor declared. The drone is out of order, but fortunately no one was injured in the incident. The man was stopped by the gendarmerie and placed in pre-trial detention. An investigation has been opened, entrusted to the Grisolles gendarmerie brigade.
With the increasing use of drones, similar incidents have occurred throughout France. In August 2024, a resident of a town in Vaucluse reacted to the sight of a drone flying over his property. Convicted he was being spied on, he shot down the aircraft, hitting it with his rifle. The device was actually a drone belonging to the company that manages France’s electricity distribution network.
