One aspect is, that firearms are much much less common in the EU than in the US. It varies by countries a lot (mostly hunting-related) and France has a high firearms prevalence comparing to a lot of the EU, but it is still very far from the US numbers (120 vs 20). So for an amateur hit (friend of a friend type), there simply might not have been a firearm and obtaining one and/or gaining shooting skills is probably both too slow and too easy to connect the dots for the police.
On one hand, the method might also hint at it being impulsive, not planned - just grab a knife and follow her. On the other hand, the timing feels planned - like someone knew her movements and was waiting for her to arrive home. And AFAIK the most dangerous times to be a women are 1. ending a relationship (and 2. being pregnant).
But I have a question about the dog. One article stated that the dog was (still) in the car during the attack (and I very much hope the pup was in a safe place and did not wintess everything close by - dogs are incredible). But didn't the neighbour say in another article, that they saw her walking the dog, then some time passed as the neighbour was watching telly and only then there were police lights flashing? How does that add up timeline-wise (how quickly the friend came to check on her) and how and why did then the dog get back into the car? Is the neighbour simply mistaken or maybe did something get lost in translation? Or is it my memory acting up?
