Prathaan/iStock(LONDON) — An American lawyer was shot and killed on the Pacific nation of Micronesia on Monday evening, officials said.
Rachelle Bergeron was shot as she returned home from her daily jog on the tiny island of Yap, where she served as acting attorney general of Yap State. Her husband was home at the time and called police, according to Yap State Gov. Henry Falan.
Bergeron was rushed to a local hospital where she died. The fatal shooting is under investigation, according to Falan.
“Yap’s spirit is broken by this senseless and heinous act,” the governor said in a video statement Tuesday. “I promise to do everything in my power to have justice prevail.”
Bergeron, a Wisconsin native, first moved to the Federated States of Micronesia in 2015 to take a job as the assistant attorney general of Yap State. She had previously practiced law in Washington, D.C., New York City and India, according to a press release from the Yap State government.
“We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in Yap on October 14, 2019,” a State Department spokesperson said. “We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss, and are providing all appropriate assistance to the family. Out of respect to the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment.”
The FBI is reportedly sending a team of agents to Yap to investigate Bergeron’s death.
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