A PROSECUTOR says a hunter shot and killed a cyclist in the French Alps in what appears to be an accident. The victim, 34-year-old Marc Sutton, originally from Wales, died on Saturday evening after being struck by a single bullet while cycling in thick woods near the ski resort of Les Gets. Mr Sutton, a chef, had lived in the Alps for a number of years and owned and ran a restaurant with his girlfriend near the village of Morzine. Thonon-Les-Bains prosecutor Philippe Toccanier said the 22-year-old hunter was taken to hospital for shock after the shooting. He is being investigated on suspicion of aggravated manslaughter. Toccanier told The Associated Press on Sunday the victim, was cycling down a well used but hard to access mountain track at around 6pm when he passed near a group of about 10 game hunters. Toccanier said the cyclist certainly “couldn’t be confused with game, as he had a coloured helmet and a coloured mountain bike.” Britain’s Foreign Office says it’s “in contact with the local authorities” and providing assistance to the dead man’s family. Amie Henderson, 38, a friend and neighbour of the of the couple told the UK’s Telegraph: “This is a very tight-knit expat community and we are all deeply shocked. There is anger too because every year there are hunting accidents.” Another local wrote on Facebook: “This is absolutely devastating. Everyone in our community will be affected by last night’s accident. So very sad for Marc and everyone with him.”<doc-sep>These are the first pictures of a British mountain biker who was shot dead by a hunter as he sped down a wooded path in the French Alps. The 34-year-old victim, named as Marc Sutton, ran a restaurant in the small ski resort of Les Gets, close to Morzine. The mountain biker, thought to be from Caerphilly, in Wales, died 'from a single bullet', said a source, adding that the accident took place in fading light, close to a 6.50pm sundown on Saturday. Marc Sutton, 34, ran a restaurant in the small ski resort of Les Gets, close to Morzine The mountain biker, thought to be from Caerphilly, in Wales, died 'from a single bullet', said the source, adding that the accident took place in fading light, close to a 6.50pm sundown on Saturday His killer, who has not been identified, is thought to have mistaken Mr Sutton, who ran the Wild Beets Kitchen restaurant in nearby Les Gets, for a 'fast moving animal'. The 22-year-old hunter, who has a gun licence, went into 'deep shock' after realising what had happened, and is now being investigated for 'aggravated manslaughter'. Today, tributes were being paid to Mr Sutton on Facebook. One poster wrote: 'I met him this summer, real nice chap, such a tragedy.' Another posted: 'This is absolutely devastating. Everyone in our community will be affected by last night's accident. So very sad for Marc and everyone with him.' There are frequent calls for hunting boar, deer and other animals to be banned in France because of the number of deaths and injuries it causes. An investigating source said: 'He is thought to have died instantly after being hit by a bullet fired by a 22-year-old hunter,' 'The accident happened on Saturday evening in thick woods close to the ski resort of Montriond, at about 6pm. The shooter went into deep shock when he realised what he had done. He now faces trial and prison' Now the victim's body will be subject to an autopsy, to determine the exact cause of death. The gunman was admitted to hospital 'in severe shock', meaning that he could not immediately be interviewed or charged. Dozens of gendarmes surrounded the area where the tragedy happened, as others attempted to contact the victim's next of kin. The 34-year-old victim, who has not yet been identified, ran a restaurant in the small ski resort of Les Gets, close to Morzine. He was shot as he sped down a wooded path in the French Alps (pictured) The restaurant owner had been settled in Les Gens for 'a number of years', and had many family and friends in the UK too, said the sources. Mr Sutton, a keen snowboarder and mountain biker, ran a private catering business in the area and opened his own restaurant, Wild Beets Kitchen, earlier this year. In a Facebook post, he said of the restaurant: 'I still can't believe that this is ours! Hard work does pay off and dreams do come true.' One former schoolfriend said: 'This is so tragic - can't believe Marc is gone. 'He was the salt of the earth who lived for the outdoors .' It is the latest in a serious of shooting tragedies involving innocent passers-by being killed or severely wounded during France's hunting season, which started last month. On this occasion, up to 18 hunters were taking part, but apparently failed to notice the rider, who was wearing bright clothes and easily identifiable, according to the investigating source. 'He was on a popular and well used track, although it was hard to get to and would not have been very busy as darkness approached.. It may be that he was mistaken for a fast moving animal.' Prosecutors in Thonon have opened an enquiry into 'aggravated manslaughter', and a 'full investigation is in progress. The killer faces trial and prison if found guilty of the charge, a judicial source confirmed. Last year a 59-year-old hiker died instantly when he was blasted to death by a wild boar hunter while out walking close to the village of Taulignan, in the Drome department. It happened during the first few days of the season, which also claimed a 13-year-old boy was mistakenly shot dead by his grandfather with a shotgun. Then, in October 2017, a woman sitting in her garden was killed after a stray hunter's bullet passed through her garden hedge. In November, a deer hunter who was just about to get married was gored to death by a cornered deer who charged him with his antlers in a wood near Paris. In 2016, there were 18 deaths during hunting accidents in France, and scores of injuries. An FCO spokeswoman said : 'We are in contact with the local authorities about the death of a British man in France, and we are providing assistance to his family.'<doc-sep>A 34-year-old Briton has been shot dead by a hunter as he sped down a wooded track on a mountain bike in the French Alps, officials have said. The victim, understood to be Marc Sutton from Caerphilly, was a restaurant owner who had been living for several years in the small resort town of Les Gets. Sutton ran a private catering business in the area and opened his own restaurant, Wild Beets Kitchen, earlier this year. He was shot on Saturday evening as a hunting party beat its way through woods near the ski resort of Montriond, according to a local prosecutor quoted by the Associated Press. The victim was “perfectly identifiable” and was on a well-used but hard-to-access mountain track when he was shot by a 22-year-old hunter, who was taken to hospital in shock. An inquiry has been launched for aggravated manslaughter, the prosecutor said. A spokeswoman for the UK Foreign Office said: “We are in contact with the local authorities about the death of a British man in France, and we are providing assistance to his family.” A local newspaper, Le Dauphiné Libéré, reported that the accident had happened at about 6pm on Saturday during a seven-man hunt organised by the local hunting association. The victim reportedly died from a single gunshot wound. The man who shot him had not been arrested or charged. The public prosecutor, Philippe Toccanier from nearby Thonon-les-Bains, ordered local gendarmes to secure the scene and recover any available evidence. The accident came barely two weeks after another young hunter in the region was sentenced to a year in jail for involuntarily killing a trail runner with a single bullet to the head, prompting widespread calls for tighter restrictions to be imposed on hunting in areas popular with the public. While in steady decline, accidents are still frequent during the French hunting season. According to the national hunting and wildlife agency ONCFS, 115 people were injured in hunting accidents in the year to 1 June 2018. Thirteen died of their injuries, including three people who were not involved in a hunt.<doc-sep>A British mountain biker has been shot dead in the French Alps after he was mistaken for an animal by a local hunter. Marc Sutton, 34, originally from south Wales, died on Saturday evening after being struck by a single bullet while cycling in thick woods near the ski resort of Les Gets. The 22-year-old gunman, who has a firearms licence, was with a group of around 20 other hunters when the tragedy occurred. He had to be admitted to hospital after suffering from deep shock following the incident. Mr Sutton, a chef, had lived in the Alps for a number of years and owned and ran a restaurant with his girlfriend near the village of Morzine.<doc-sep>
A British restaurant owner has been shot dead by a hunter in the French Alps. The 34-year-old, named locally as Marc Sutton, was riding a mountain bike when he was shot on Saturday evening. The keen snowboarder and mountain biker, originally from Caerphilly, south Wales, ran a private catering business in the area and opened his own restaurant, Wild Beets Kitchen, earlier this year in Les Gets, close to Morzine. In a Facebook post, he said of the restaurant: “I still can’t believe that this is ours! Hard work does pay off and dreams do come true.” The hunter, a 22-year-old man, was treated for shock after the incident. “He is thought to have died instantly after being hit by a bullet fired by a 22-year-old hunter,” a source said. Marc Sutton, originally from Caerphilly, south Wales, died after he was hit by a hunter's bullet while riding his mountain bike in woodland near Montriond, France (Facebook) “The accident happened on Saturday evening in thick woods close to the ski resort of Montriond, at about 6pm. “The shooter went into deep shock when he realised what he had done. “He now faces trial and prison.” Prosecutors in Thonon have opened an inquiry into “aggravated manslaughter”, and a full investigation is in progress into what officials reportedly believe was an accident. The killer faces prison if found guilty of the charge, a judicial source confirmed. Mr Sutton opened a restaurant in the small ski resort of Les Gets earlier this year (Getty/iStock) (Getty Images/iStockphoto) The incident is the latest in a serious of shooting tragedies involving innocent passersby being killed or severely wounded during France’s hunting season, which started last month. On this occasion up to 18 hunters were taking part, but failed to notice the rider, who was said to be wearing bright clothes. A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We are in contact with local authorities about the death of a British man in France and stand ready to provide assistance to his family.” Last year a 59-year-old hiker died instantly when he was blasted to death by a wild boar hunter while out walking close to the village of Taulignan, in the Drome department. It happened during the first few days of the season, which also claimed the life a 13-year-old boy, who was mistakenly shot dead by his grandfather with a shotgun. ✕ Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events In October 2017, a woman sitting in her garden was also killed after a stray hunter’s bullet passed through her garden hedge. In 2016, there were 18 deaths caused by hunting accidents in France as well as a number of injuries.