Trappes Shooting: Prosecutor Charges 39-Year-Old Man After Fatal Spree

Trappes, a working-class suburb north of Paris with a large Muslim population, was the site of a violent gunfight on Friday morning. A gunman opened fire in several locations before officers took him into custody.

The attack began at 10:30 a.m. local time when the suspect drove through Trappes and the neighboring town of La Verrière. He fired an automatic weapon at a gas station, a medical facility, and a playground. The 15-minute spree ended when police arrested the 39-year-old, identified as Kevin T.

Pengo Bassio Wangi, a young Black man, was killed in the incident. Five others sustained injuries, including a 12-year-old girl who was shot eight times. Prosecutors reported that three of the injured are in critical condition. The girl, who is of North African descent and was wearing a headscarf, was transported to a children's hospital for surgery.

Local MP Laurent Mazaury stated that the suspect told officers he intended to "kill foreigners." Mazaury described the suspect as a racist. The girl's mother told broadcaster RTL that she does not know why her daughter was targeted and asked how anyone could do such a thing to a child. She emphasized that her daughter was born in Trappes and has the right to build her life in France.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez characterized the incident as a terrorist crime. Prosecutors are investigating whether the suspect conspired with a terrorist group and have detained a member of his immediate family. Police found a World War II era semiautomatic weapon and tear gas grenades in the suspect's vehicle. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said that all security and judicial resources are fully mobilized.

President Emmanuel Macron called the incident a racist terrorist attack and a turning point for the nation. Trappes Mayor Ali Rabeh, who has Moroccan roots, said the gunman fired randomly and sought to cause a bloodbath. Rabeh stated that the victims could easily have been his own relatives and that the girl's crime was probably being of color.

The shooting occurred while the country deals with cost-of-living and student protests. Authorities plan to deploy 70,000 police officers on Saturday as more demonstrations are expected. Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally, condemned the shooting as barbaric. Muslim groups accused the populist right of fostering hatred through Islamophobic rhetoric, citing Le Pen's proposal to fine women who wear headscarves in public.

The French Muslim Council said promoters of anti-Muslim hate speech have blood on their hands. The European Parliament passed a resolution last week calling for an EU strategy against Islamist entryism. The EU's Fundamental Rights Agency reports that one in two Muslims in Europe face racial discrimination.