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France is in shock after a 14-year-old boy mistakenly shot his father dead while out hunting then turned the gun on himself in despair and committed suicide.

The father and son had been out hunting on Saturday afternoon in Sourribes in the Alpes-de-Haute Provence when the boy slipped on leaves, accidentally pulling the trigger, police said. The bullet struck his 42-year-old father in the legs.

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The distraught teenager then called contacted a family member who alerted emergency services, but the father died before paramedics arrived.

When he realised had had killed his father, the boy then committed suicide next to his body.

“It’s a hunting accident caused unintentionally by the boy who, realising the irreversible consequences [of his action], turned the weapon on himself and killed himself,” said prosecutor Stephane Kellenberger, calling the incident a “very sad tragedy.”

Max Isoard, the president of the hunters of Haute-Provence, lamented the “tragic act” but said: “This is a very particular case in which a gun ended up in the hands of a kid.”