Rennes: a 5-year-old child suffers serious gunshot wounds, life-threatening conditions persist

On the evening of Saturday 26 October, a dramatic incident occurred in Rennes: a 5-year-old child was seriously injured by a bullet while travelling in a car with his father. According to Ouest France and sources corroborating H24 MEDIA, the father and child were shot at while travelling in their vehicle. This incident is yet another tragic episode in the spate of violence that is shaking certain areas of the city.

The emergency services were alerted at 10.30pm and quickly attended to the child, who had been hit in the head by two bullets. He was rushed to hospital in Rennes, where he was placed in intensive care. Although his condition is now stable, his vital prognosis is still uncertain.

The father’s account of the incident

According to the account given by the father, himself aged 30 and known to the authorities for a history of drug-related offences, he was driving with his son in the Maurepas district when a suspect vehicle, a Peugeot 3008, began to follow them. The chase continued for several kilometres to the town of Pacé, where the driver and his child came under fire from several hooded gunmen. Witnesses also reportedly witnessed this unusually violent scene.

The reaction of the authorities and the context of tension in Rennes

The investigation has been entrusted to the Rennes Research Brigade and Research Section, supported by the Ille-et-Vilaine Gendarmerie Group. This latest incident takes place against a backdrop of increasing tension linked to the rise in urban violence in Rennes, particularly in the Maurepas district, where many drug dealing outlets are concentrated.

For several months now, Rennes has been experiencing a series of violent clashes associated with turf battles between drug trafficking networks. At the end of September, several shootings had already broken out in the Maurepas and Bréquigny districts. The mayor of Rennes, Nathalie Appéré, sounded the alarm at the time, referring to a ‘turf war between drug traffickers’ and highlighting a ‘worrying escalation in violence’.

Government response to escalating violence

In response to the repeated violence, the Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, announced on the social network X that CRS 82 would be sent to Rennes to reinforce the safety of local residents. ‘The gangrene of drug trafficking is rotting our neighbourhoods’, he said, calling for a relentless fight against these criminal networks. The Minister of Justice, Didier Migaud, also called for resolute action by the State to counter this growing threat, saying that ‘firm, rapid and effective’ responses were needed to stem the violence.

This latest act of violence in Rennes highlights a national issue: the fight against drug trafficking, which has become a priority for the authorities in the areas most affected by insecurity.