Many shocked residents were present this Monday, October 7 in front of the night grocery store targeted in the middle of the night by an arson attack, rue du Pas-du-Loup, in Montpellier. They talk about the two people who died in the tragedy: the manager of the business, very well known and appreciated in the neighborhood, as well as the person who tried to help him.
Under the drizzle, in the middle of the construction barriers of this road under construction, many residents of rue du Pas-du-Loup gathered this Monday, October 7 in front of the charred night grocery store, protected by a security perimeter and the presence of police. The emotion is immense, a few hours after the arson which targeted this business, at 3:30 a.m., costing the life of the manager who was inside, as well as the person who tried to kill him. bring help.
“We grew up together”
“They both got stuck. He rushed the car to open the gate”explains a group of local residents, referring to the 30-year-old man who came to rescue the 70-year-old trader, and who also perished. “We grew up together, he was my foster brother”adds one of them about the thirty-year-old. Neighbors totally in solidarity with the tragedy that played out very close to their homes: “Here, the neighborhood is the family”blurted out one of the women.
Further away, another resident of the neighborhood stares at the remains of the small local grocery store. Upset as soon as he talks about this grocer he had known for many years. “A golden person, who did a lot for all the people here”he said with tears in his eyes. “We talked about everything, nothing. He was a man who had a big heart, a very big figure in the neighborhood. He helped everyone. He did a lot for our children, for us. Many people asked him for help. credits, they would come back later to pay him. He had confidence.
“Knowing the conditions in which he left is above all what is shocking”
This neighbor also thinks of his loved ones: “He leaves two sons and a daughter, young adults.” And the tragic circumstances of his death. “Knowing the conditions in which he left is above all what is very shocking.” Thoughts, too, for the one who tried everything to save him, but also lost his life. “He heard the screams, he saw the flames. He wanted to do what he could. What any person should do. Unfortunately, he too lost his life.”
“An act like that is not normal,” he continues. To me, he was someone who didn’t want him to be there anymore. It wasn’t just to harm his grocery store.”
This Monday morning, the mayor of Montpellier, Michaël Delafosse, indicated that the video protection images were being used: “A requisition of the tape was made by the public prosecutor to try to identify the author of these acts. He is actively sought.”
