ParisReuters —
A gunman killed one person and injured five others, including a 12-year-old girl, in a shooting incident in a Paris suburb. French President Emmanuel Macron called the attack “terrorist and racist.”
“I say what happened today is a turning point, because for the first time ever there was an act of terrorism designed to kill our fellow citizens and children on the basis of the color of their skin or their religion,” President Macron told reporters.
The shootings occurred early Friday morning when a gunman opened fire with an automatic weapon at a gas station, medical center and children’s playground in the Paris suburb of Trappes.
Authorities said a 39-year-old suspect named Kevin T. was arrested. His family’s last names were not disclosed, as is common in such criminal investigations in France.
The shooting comes at a time of particular tension in France after nationwide protests turned violent last Saturday and ahead of further demonstrations this weekend.
Some far-right politicians blamed migrants for the looting and vandalism that took place in many French cities on October 17th.
President Macron said the gunman deliberately chose not to open fire on some people because of their skin color or appearance.
The Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office, known as PNAT, has opened a formal investigation into the shooting.
PNAT can take over any criminal investigation deemed to meet the criteria for terrorism, including violence inspired by far-right ideology. Punishments for terrorism will be tougher, and anti-terrorism forces will have stronger investigative powers.
Broadcaster BFM said the injured girl was punched eight times and was in a serious condition.
Traps Mayor Ali Rabe, whose parents are from Morocco, called the shooting “racist” and “Islamophobic.”
“The people targeted today could very well have been my mother, my brother, my sister-in-law,” Labbe said.
Rabe called for a collective condemnation of rhetoric that “ideologically arms those who can carry out such acts.”
Nicola Dainville, the mayor of nearby La Verriere, said the suspect was a “European type”. Rabe said two of the victims were from Africa and North Africa, respectively, without providing details on the backgrounds of the other victims.
Video images showed the suspect’s car riddled with bullets.
This story has been interrupted and will be updated.
