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American lawyer Rachelle Bergeron, who was serving as an acting attorney general in Micronesia, was killed in the Pacific nation on Monday evening.
Bergeron was shot after returning home from work, according toa video statementfrom Henry Falan, the governor of the Micronesian island of Yap, where she was working.
“Today I come to you as a very sad man,” Falan said in the statement. “And not the proud governor that I thought I could be or would be. Today marks a tragic day in our history. We are under the watchful eyes of the world. It is with great sadness that I report the death of Yap’s acting attorney general, Rachelle Bergeron.”
Falan explained that Bergeron was killed at her home around 7:00 p.m. on Monday. Her husband was inside their home at the time, and Bergeron was “immediately” taken to the Yap Memorial Hospital, where she died.
The governor added that the crime is currently under investigation.
In a statement to PEOPLE, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of State said: “We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in Yap on October 14, 2019. 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.”
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According toABC News, Bergeron first moved to Micronesia in 2015 to work as the assistant attorney general of Yap State. She originally hailed from Wisconsin, and had previously practiced law in Washington, D.C., New York City and India.
Julie Hartup, a friend of Bergeron’s, told theAssociated Pressthat she and her husband were about to celebrate their one-year wedding anniversary and wanted to start a family.
“She had a fun laugh; she loved her dogs; she loved going running; she really cared about the community,” Hartup said. “She was trying her hardest to do the best job she could, and ultimately somebody took her life for being so good at her job.”
source: people.com
