Guide Note

A French soldier shot sixteen people during a demonstration military drill in Carcassone, France, on June 30, 2008, after he reportedly used real instead of dummy bullets.

Fast Facts

1. Date: June 30, 2008
2. Location: Carcassone, France
3. Drill conducted by Third Marine Parachute Barracks
4. Military saying incident most likely an accident
5. Fifteen civilians wounded, one soldier¹
6. Four in serious condition
7. Three-year old boy in serious condition
8. Soldier fired live rounds instead of blanks
9. Incident took place during terrorism training drill

The shooting, which French military officials described as most likely an accident, occurred during a terrorism training drill observed by members of the public. In the drill, one soldier, pretending to be a terrorist, stood amidst hundreds of spectators. According to press reports, the soldier who fired the shots first emptied a magazine of blanks, and then reloaded his gun with a magazine of live rounds. Blanks and live rounds are contained in differently-colored magazines, and officials claim an experienced soldier would have no problem differentiating between the two.²