One of the hypotheses considered was a hunting accident. “We regularly hear gunshots from the Leernes cemetery at the moment”, indicated the mayor, Gianni Galluzzo, emphasizing however: “I’m not saying it’s a hunting accident, I don’t know, but the hypothesis seems plausible to me.”
The case was entrusted to the federal judicial police in Charleroi. The autopsy quickly ruled out the theory of a hunting accident. Bernard Vermeulen had been hit by a bullet fired from a handgun and not by a hunting rifle which causes severe cranial deformation.
Examination of images provided by ANPR cameras, which read car plates, as well as analysis of telephone data allowed a breakthrough in the investigation.
Two men aged 18 and 19, from the Charleroi region, were placed under arrest warrant on Monday by the investigating judge. The two arrest warrants were issued for murder and failure to assist a person in danger, the Charleroi prosecutor’s office said on Tuesday. The two young men have no criminal record.
The reason for their action remains unclear. The Charleroi public prosecutor’s office has clarified that no explanation can currently be put forward concerning their motive. The investigation will also have to shed light on how they managed to obtain the weapon which was fatal to Bernard Vermeulen.
