French singer King Jijak, who was shot on Monday, admitted in a statement to investigators that he intended to "pretend to commit suicide" to scare his partner, who had threatened to leave him, according to prosecutor Olivier Janson in Mont-de-Marsan (southwest France) on Thursday. According to Agence France-Presse, Janson explained during a press conference that the singer, who won the French version of "The Voice" in 2014, was "very scared" when he heard her mention leaving him, and in a fit of panic, he wanted to scare her back. He indicated that the star "deeply regrets" his actions.
He expected the case to "be closed unless new elements emerge," while further investigations would continue "to determine the source of the weapon" used by King Jijak. The 27-year-old singer, of Romani descent, initially reported that the gunshot incident was "accidental," with a weapon he bought the day before from a discount and second-hand store. He later changed his story, claiming he received the pistol on April 18 from "a man" selling "old items" at a gathering of travelers where he was staying in the Pissos area.
The star was hospitalized on Monday near Bordeaux with a gunshot wound to the chest, with the bullet narrowly missing his heart, which the prosecutor described as a "miracle." The judge speculated that "it will take King several months to fully recover."
Tests conducted on the singer revealed a significant amount of alcohol in his blood, exceeding 2.5 grams per liter, and that he had consumed cocaine during the evening and party. Olivier Janson noted that "the newly developed alcohol addiction caused significant tensions" between the singer and his partner, pointing out that other disputes arose between them concerning their traveling lifestyle and his partner Thuria Miranda's desire to stop moving to avoid "missing any school days for their daughter."
The prosecutor attributed to King Jijak's partner saying that the singer had previously threatened during their arguments that he would shoot himself or slit his throat. A new argument erupted between them on Monday when he returned "drunk" to their trailer and awakened their 3-year-old daughter, according to Thuria Miranda. After she returned to her room to sleep, she heard a gunshot and found King Jijak "kneeling and groaning" with "the weapon on the ground."
