Hired Gunman Probably Killed Female Parliamentarian in France, Police Say

TOULON, France —  A hired gunman most probably killed a female parliamentarian who spearheaded a campaign against Mafia drug traffickers in southern France, investigators said Saturday.

Yann Piat of the centrist UDF party, junior partner in the 11-month-old ruling coalition, was murdered Friday evening on her way home in the town of Hyeres, east of Toulon.

A gunman riding on a motorcycle drew level with her car and first shot her driver, wounding him in the leg, and then fired two bullets at Piat, who died instantly, police said.

Investigators said the murder of the 44-year-old Piat, who in recent months had taken an outspoken stand against drug addiction and traffickers in her region, was the work of a paid professional.

“The circumstances of the murder make us think very strongly of a contract killing,” Andre Ride, public prosecutor in Toulon, told reporters.

Police have reported that Mafia-style gangs are active in the area, trafficking in drugs as well as laundering their money through local casinos and nightclubs.