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A gunman opened fire from a vehicle on passers-by in the Paris suburb of Trappes and nearby La Verrière on October 23, killing one person and wounding four others before police took him into custody in Coignières, according to multiple law enforcement sources. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced the arrest and said security forces had been fully mobilised across the area. The national anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office confirmed it was monitoring developments even as investigators worked to establish a motive for the attack that appeared indiscriminate.
Trappes Mayor Ali Rabeh told BFMTV that the shooter seemed intent on carrying out a massacre after firing bursts at random targets including a playground. Rabeh added that one of the injured was a 12-year-old girl hit by eight bullets whose condition had since been stabilised in hospital. Two men aged 29 and 49 were also hospitalised after being struck while the mayor noted the dead victim was of African origin and a critically wounded individual was of North African descent.
Lecornu wrote on X that the anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office had announced it was examining the situation, Reuters reported. The prime minister offered condolences to the victim’s family while extending support to those injured in what he described as very serious events. Local officials including the mayor of La Verrière, Nicolas Dainville, indicated the attacker may have selected victims according to their race though police stressed the motive remained unclear.
The suspect, identified by some local reports as a 38-year-old man named Kevin from the nearby town of Saint-Cyr-l’École, lived in the area and had no immediately apparent terrorism links, according to BFM TV. Authorities have not released his full identity pending further investigation and checks on any prior criminal record. The anti-terrorism office’s involvement follows standard procedure for mass public shootings in France even when initial evidence points away from organised extremism.
The incident occurred as French authorities prepared for nationwide protests over the high cost of living scheduled for the following day, an Associated Press dispatch noted. Major museums were set to close and an increased security presence had already been ordered to avoid repeats of previous violent unrest. Yvelines department, which includes Trappes, has seen past tensions linked to both crime and socioeconomic pressures in its suburban communities.
Investigators continued to gather ballistic evidence and witness statements from the multiple locations targeted along the Nationale 10 highway between Trappes and Coignières. No further updates on the victims’ identities had been released by regional prosecutors as of Friday afternoon. French broadcaster BFMTV reported that the death toll could still change as medical teams assessed the wounded.
