Paris (France) (AFP) – In the case of the "game" with a weapon between drunken soldiers which left one dead in mid-February near Paris, the group leader admits having ordered the scene of the drama to be tidied up before the arrival of the police to "minimize" the sanctions, according to elements of the file of which AFP became aware on Friday.
Published on: 05/06/2026 - 11:11 Modified on: 05/06/2026 - 14:34
It all starts with an “aperitif” with seven members of the 35th Parachute Artillery Regiment from Tarbes (Hautes-Pyrénées) on a “Sentinel” mission at the Percy military hospital in Clamart (Hauts-de-Seine).
The investigators note an "excessive consumption of alcohol", between rum and beers, this Valentine's Day night, while a "game" of reactivity with a weapon takes place, a word used by the investigators.
Benjamin L., 20 years old, said he squeezed "the trigger", just "to hear the famous click" of the firing pin, as had been repeated before, when empty.
This soldier then admits not to check the weapon and assures that he does not realize that he is pointing at his comrade: Alexandre Lanckbeen, 21, seriously injured on the night of February 14 to 15, died on February 20.
Benjamin L., Mohamed C., 34 years old, group leader, and his deputy Fabien B., 30 years old, were indicted in mid-February in Paris, where the public prosecutor's office has jurisdiction in this matter.
The investigation focuses in particular on the alleged responsibilities of the last two, who were no longer present at the time of the fatal shooting. As mentioned by the newspaper Libération, the weapon is that of Mohamed C., left in the common room, and not under lock and key.
The non-commissioned officer raises "the material conditions of storage": "strong cabinet code known to all, weapons and ammunition in the same space, absence of dedicated gunsmith", comments his lawyer Marie de Fleurieu to AFP.
Mohamed C., in front of the investigators, remembers being ordered to “dump the beer” or “empty the trash” before the police arrived. At this time he is not thinking of "covering up a crime scene" but wants to "minimize" the military sanctions.
In a "context" of "stunning", this non-commissioned officer "mechanically wanted the immediate space to be + clean + to facilitate the intervention of the emergency services and the findings", defends Me De Fleurieu.
A soldier also certifies having “thrown” “objects” on the orders of the group leader’s deputy. Fabien B. is also designated by witnesses as the initiator of the “game”.
Me Eliott Amzallag, lawyer for Fabien B., disputes with the AFP "that it was a game: the young people (military) were wondering about the feasibility of a maneuver, and my client ended up showing it to them".
This case "is the direct result of a serious violation of basic security rules by the hierarchy", insist to AFP Messrs Baptiste Bellet and Anne Desriaux, defenders of Benjamin L.
“My clients are totally upset and are waiting to understand how their child could have disappeared in such an absurd way,” the lawyer for Alexandre Lanckbeen’s family, Me Laurent-Franck Liénard, told AFP.
© 2026 AFP
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