Man Charged After 15-Minute Shooting Near Paris

Police in northern France have detained a 39-year-old man following a brief gunfight that left one person dead and five others injured.

The shooting started at 10:30 a.m. local time on Friday in Trappes, a suburb on the outskirts of Paris. The suspect, identified as Kevin T., drove through Trappes and La Verriere, two communities with large immigrant populations. He fired an automatic weapon at a petrol station, a medical centre, and a children's playground. The sequence of events lasted approximately 15 minutes before officers apprehended him.

Local MP Laurent Mazaury stated that the suspect told police he intended to "kill foreigners." Mazaury described the attacker as a racist. French media reports indicate the deceased victim, Pengo Bassio Wangi, was a young Black man. Among the five wounded is a 12-year-old girl of North African descent who was shot eight times. Her mother, speaking to broadcaster RTL, questioned whether her daughter was targeted for wearing a headscarf. The girl has been transported to a children's hospital for surgery. Prosecutors reported that three of the injured are in critical condition. Investigators also detained a member of the suspect's immediate family while they examine potential ties to a terrorist group.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez declared the incident a "clearly a terrorist crime." Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu described the case as "very serious" and confirmed that all security resources are mobilised. President Emmanuel Macron labelled the event a "racist terrorist attack" and a turning point for the nation. Trappes mayor Ali Rabeh said the gunman fired at random with the goal of causing a "bloodbath." Rabeh noted that the victims could easily have been his own relatives and suggested the girl's "crime was probably being of colour."

Investigators found a World War II era semiautomatic weapon and tear gas grenades in the suspect's car. The attack occurred while cost-of-living and student protests gripped the country. Authorities plan to deploy 70,000 police officers on Saturday to manage further demonstrations. Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Rally, condemned the shooting as "barbaric." Conversely, Muslim groups accused the populist right of fostering hatred, citing Le Pen's campaign proposal to fine women who wear headscarves in public. Rabeh called politicians who make negative comments about Muslims "criminals."

The incident adds to a rising trend of anti-Muslim hostility in Europe. Last week, the European Parliament passed a resolution by 381 votes to 167 calling for an EU strategy against Islamist entryism. The EU's Fundamental Rights Agency states that one in two Muslims in Europe face racial discrimination. In the United States, California's attorney general reported that anti-Muslim hate crimes rose 54 percent in 2025.