French soldier dies after being accidentally shot in head during drunken evening in barracks

Four soldiers are in custody after a loaded handgun was discharged inside the barracks

French soldiers and police officers secure the area after authorities said a man armed with a knife attacked a police officer near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France, Feb 13, 2026. REUTERS/Benoit Tessie

A French soldier has died after being accidentally shot in the head during a drunken evening with other soldiers in a barracks near Paris, said the Paris prosecutor on Friday.

The deceased soldier was identified as Alexandre Lanckbeen.

Loic Mizon, the military governor of Paris, confirmed Lanckbeen's death in a post on X on Friday.

The Paris prosecutor said the incident occurred at the Percy Military Training Hospital in Clamart, near Paris, on Feb 14.

Even though the consumption of alcohol is banned at the site, various soldiers had obtained alcohol and had been drinking over the course of the evening. While the soldiers were playing a game aimed at testing people's reactions, a loaded handgun was discharged and a bullet struck Lanckbeen in the head. He was taken to hospital but subsequently died from his wounds.

Four soldiers have been arrested over the incident.