There are indication on Monday that a past champion of France’s version of The Voice was hospitalized following a gunshot wound to the chest.
Around 5:30 am (0330 GMT), police were called to a traveler site in Biscarrosse, on the southwest coast of France, and singer Kendji Girac was discovered to be injured.
The sources, who wished to remain anonymous, told AFP that although Girac was admitted to the hospital in Bordeaux, the injuries were not considered life-threatening.
According to a source, the 27-year-old admitted to first responders that he had shot himself by accident while fiddling with a Colt 45 automatic weapon he had purchased from a trash store.
Another source close to the investigation said police were not ruling anything out in their probe and had not yet questioned Girac.
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Police locked down the scene of the shooting throughout Monday morning but left in the early afternoon, an AFP journalist saw.
“This isn’t a gangland shooting. It’s an accident. He was playing with the thing and ‘bam’,” a man called Emilio, who said he was Girac’s uncle, told AFP at the camp.
“We were quietly playing the guitar… An accident can happen at any time,” said Emilio, who declined to give his surname.
Members of Girac’s family went to Bordeaux’s Haut-Leveque hospital but declined to speak to media.
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A source close to the investigation and emergency services said the singer had never been in danger of dying from his wound, as had initially been reported, and that he was conscious when first responders arrived.
One source said an investigation into the shooting had been launched, although the local prosecutors did not immediately confirm that.
Girac is the stage name of Kendji Maille, who won The Voice in 2014 after going viral with a song his uncle published on YouTube.
He has since sold millions of albums, with hits including “Color Gitano” and “Andalouse” (Andalucia) referencing his Catalan Roma heritage.
