Fatal shooting in Poitiers: suspect surrenders to police

A shooting in the Couronneries district of Poitiers on the evening of October 31 resulted in the death of a 15-year-old teenager and the injury of four other minors. On Tuesday, November 5, the public prosecutor’s office announced that a suspect had surrendered to the authorities in Paris, where he was taken into custody. According to the Poitiers public prosecutor, Cyril Lacombe, checks are underway to formally establish the identity of this individual and confirm whether he is indeed the person sought in this investigation.

The shooting, which took place near a kebab restaurant during a Halloween party that had attracted many young people, left a teenager with serious head injuries, who succumbed to his wounds on November 2. The Poitiers public prosecutor said that an investigation into the murder and attempted murder had been opened.

Background and investigation: suspect under judicial supervision

The wanted suspect, under judicial supervision for a weapons case linked to Marseille, was allegedly involved in drug trafficking in the Couronneries district, according to information in Le Parisien. A search of an apartment he was said to have frequented led to the seizure of ammunition matching that found at the scene of the shooting, as well as parts of a dismantled weapon, according to information provided by the public prosecutor’s office.

Clarification of the facts: reactions and denials

Initial reports had suggested a brawl between rival gangs, a hypothesis put forward by Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau. However, local authorities corrected this, stating that only a few individuals had been involved in brief scuffles, and that the police had quickly restored calm.

His mother’s lawyer, Yasmina Djoudi, stressed that the murdered teenager had no connection with illegal activities, and deplored the confusion surrounding this tragedy. The mayor of Poitiers, Léonore Moncond’huy, reaffirmed this position, calling on the Minister of the Interior to clarify the facts to avoid any confusion.