Drive-by shooting kills 1, wounds 4 near Paris; anti-terror prosecutors take over
A gunman opened fire in Trappes and La Verrière on Friday morning, killing 1 person and wounding 4, including a 12-year-old girl.
A man opened fire from a car in the Paris suburbs of Trappes and La Verrière on Friday morning, killing 1 person and wounding 4 others, French officials said. Among the injured was a 12-year-old girl, hit by eight bullets, whose condition was later stabilised, according to the mayor of La Verrière, Nicolas Dainville.
Police arrested a 39-year-old suspect, named by French media as Kevin T., in the nearby town of Coignières shortly after the shooting, the national anti-terrorism prosecutor's office said. He was not previously known to France's domestic intelligence services, according to a source close to the investigation cited by Dutch outlet HLN.
The gunman fired at several locations in Trappes, including a petrol station, a health centre and a public square, before driving to La Verrière, where shots were also fired near a pharmacy and a train station, Belgian broadcaster VRT NWS reported. Trappes mayor Ali Rabeh told BFMTV the attacker fired "at random" and appeared to want to "carry out a carnage."
The man who died was in his twenties and of African origin, Rabeh said; one of the injured, in a critical condition, was of North African origin. Two men, aged 29 and 49, were also wounded and taken to hospital, according to RFI; details of a fourth injured person were not reported.
France's national anti-terrorism prosecutor's office (PNAT) took over the case, opening an investigation into murder and attempted murder linked to a terrorist organisation, and into whether the victims were targeted over their actual or perceived race, ethnicity or religion, Le Figaro reported. A search of the suspect's flat in Plaisir found it booby-trapped with gas canisters, multiple French outlets reported.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez travelled to Trappes and called the shooting a "very serious incident," while President Emmanuel Macron said the nation stood with the victims and their families. Trappes town hall said it would set up psychological support for residents.
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What we know
- 2+ outlets · Le Figaro, HLN +4 1 person was killed and 4 others injured, including a 12-year-old girl, in a drive-by shooting in Trappes and La Verrière, Yvelines, on Friday morning.
- 2+ outlets · VRT NWS A 39-year-old suspect was arrested in Coignières shortly afterwards.
- 2+ outlets · Le Figaro, Le Progrès France's anti-terrorism prosecutors have opened a murder investigation linked to a terrorist organisation and a possible racial motive.
- 1 outlet · Franceinfo A search of the suspect's home in Plaisir found gas canisters and booby traps, French media reported.
- 1 outlet · Le Figaro Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez visited the scene; President Macron offered condolences to victims and their families.
Not yet confirmed
- Unconfirmed The attacker's exact motive has not been officially confirmed.
- Unconfirmed Full details of the fourth injured victim have not been reported.
How each fact is established: Verified checked by an ECTV editorOfficial stated by an official body2+ outlets reported independently by two or more news organisations1 outlet reported by a single news organisation so farUnconfirmed claimed or reportedHow we label facts
Figure history
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Why it matters for Europe
The shooting comes as France is on edge after a week of unrest linked to protests over the cost of living, with nightly curfews imposed in several cities and further demonstrations planned for Saturday. Anti-terrorism prosecutors taking over a case in France is treated as a strong indication that investigators suspect a terrorist motive, even before one is confirmed.
Sources
Reported by 12 reports from 12 independent outlets in 6 countries.
- Le Figaro: Yvelines : un homme tire en pleine rue à Trappes, au moins un mort et quatre blessés
- HLN: Man opent vuur vanuit auto op voorbijgangers in Frankrijk: één dode en vier gewonden, waaronder meisje van 12
- BFMTV: Un homme ouvre le feu à Trappes et fait au moins un mort, 161.000 foyers privés d'électricité à cause de la tempête Austen et Donald Trump laisse planer le doute sur un troisième mandat: l'essentiel de midi
- Franceinfo: Un mort et plusieurs blessés à Trappes et La Verrière après qu'un homme a ouvert le feu
- Tages-Anzeiger: Schüsse in Trappes bei Paris: Ein Toter, vier Verletzte
Source balance
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Questions and answers
- Where did the shooting take place?
- In Trappes and the neighbouring town of La Verrière, in the Yvelines department west of Paris.
- How many people were killed or injured?
- One person was killed and four others were injured, including a 12-year-old girl, officials said.
- Has a suspect been arrested?
- Yes. Police arrested a 39-year-old man in Coignières shortly after the shooting, and anti-terrorism prosecutors have taken over the case.
This article was written with AI assistance from 13 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.