“Samuel was a nice guy, the whole neighborhood loved him”: in Perpignan, the Saint-Jacques district in shock and anger after the death of a 22-year-old

Two days after the tragedy which struck the Catalan gypsy community of Perpignan, Saint-Jacques vacillates between emotion, sorrow and anger. Rue d'en Calce, perpendicular to Place du Puig, this Sunday, November 10, 2024, an iron barrier prevents unwelcome people from accessing the alley. This is where Samuel, 22, lived, who was shot dead last night from Friday to Saturday after a flamenco concert given in a night bar at Polygone Nord, in Perpignan.

Samuel, who should have celebrated his 23rd birthday in a few days, lived in the heart of Saint-Jacques where he was born, with his partner and their 3-year-old daughter. Son of Gloria and Vicente, he had two other brothers, an elder, a younger and a younger sister. As well as many nephews, cousins, uncles, aunts and friends united in sorrow. All petrified by the brutal death of the young father. “A kind, shy, reserved boy, who was loved by the whole neighborhood. He was tall, slender, he would never have hurt anyone”testifies Philippe, his uncle.

A good boy, shy, passionate about cockfighting

Saturday morning, it was a cousin who brought the sad news to the community. Going out Friday evening with Samuel and a friend to listen to flamenco songs, he witnessed the murder helplessly. From the morning, chairs, lent by the churches of Saint-Jacques, already lined the rue d'En Calce to allow the elders to meditate day and night. Around them, younger people, dressed all in black, accompany the grieving family with their affectionate presence. While Philippe has not yet found the courage to announce to his prostrate brother that the body of his son Samuel had been transferred to Montpellier to be autopsied. “I told him that he had died and that he was in Perpignan hospital. I find it hard to believe it myself.”he despairs. “It's not like he was sick ande science could not do anything, no Samuel was killed like a dog”cries another loved one. “He was murdered gratuitously, for nothing,” adds Nick Gimenez, the mediator of the Catalan gypsy community. A wise man who knew Samuel as a baby, saw him grow, blossom into a father and keeps the image of him as a “good boy”.

A rooster enthusiast, too. “He bought them in Spain and took part in fights. It was his pleasure”continues Philippe, devastated, welcoming familiar and strangers who arrived by the dozen this Sunday from all over Occitania to provide their support. And implore justice, as Nick Gimenez is preparing to do officially, not to return to his family a sealed, closed coffin once the autopsy has been carried out. “It is essential for us to recover Samuel's body, quickly if possible, and above all to be able to look at his remains to say goodbye.” In the meantime, every day, the pastors of Saint-Jacques call on the community to come together “to pray to Samuel and resurrect him.”