A former professional footballer with French Ligue 1 side Saint-Etienne has died after he was reportedly shot with an AK47 at the age of 19. The circumstances surrounding William Gomis’ sudden death are yet to be clarified, but reports in Saint-Etienne suggest he was shot and killed in the street in La Seyne-sur-Mer.
It has also been reported that a 14-year-old boy also died in the incident, with police finding 24 Kalashnikov cases at the scene.
One of Gomis’ brothers had also reportedly died from gunshot wounds only a few weeks ago.
Saint-Etienne released a statement on Monday to confirm Gomis had passed away late on Sunday evening.
It read: ‘AS Saint-Etienne had the immense sadness to learn of the tragic death of William Gomis, which occurred last night.
‘Appreciated by his former team-mates and educators for his human qualities, the young player, who would have turned 20 in December, did all his training at the club where he had arrived at the age of 15.
‘The club’s leaders, coaches, players and employees are deeply affected by William’s sudden death and offer their deepest sympathies to his family.’
Gomis left Saint-Etienne in the summer after spending five years at the club despite reportedly being offered a new deal.
He never made his senior debut, but represented their B team in the Championnat National 18 times last season and wore the captain’s armband regularly.