A rugby club “touched in the heart”. The RC Romans-Péage organized, jointly with the family, a white march this Wednesday, November 6 to pay tribute to Nicolas Dumas, killed by bullets during a shooting that occurred on the night of Thursday, October 31 to Friday, November 1 in front of the nightclub The Seven of Saint-Péray (Ardèche).
The silent march brought together more than a thousand people, many of them young people, in the streets of Romans-sur-Isère (Drôme), reports theAFP. At the head of the procession, with a serious expression, the family of the young rugby player held in their hands a banner with photographs of Nicolas and some nicknames given to him, such as “The Princess” or “My Dwarf”.
White roses and rugby jerseys
Behind, some walked with white roses in their hands, others dressed in rugby jerseys or T-shirts with the words “Nico forever in our hearts”. The LR mayor of Romans-sur-Isère, Marie-Hélène Thoraval, was also present.
On its Facebook page, the club had arranged to meet “place Paulin-Pailherey at 3 pm” for a march to end with a “moment of contemplation at the Albert-Donnadieu stadium”the field where the 22-year-old rugby player was training. For “that the rugby family is represented”the young man's relatives had also invited the participants of the white march to wear rugby clothing from their respective club.
This gathering was intended “apolitical out of respect for the family, thank you for respecting their wishes”the club also specified.
A fund was opened by the family to finance the funeral, raising at this stage more than €22,500.
Two suspects arrested
Nicolas Dumas was shot in the head while he was in the queue at the Le Seven nightclub in Saint-Péray, a suburb of Valence where nearly 800 people were attending a Halloween party. Transported in absolute emergency to the Valence hospital center, he died of his injuries on Saturday November 2. A customer and a security guard at the establishment, also in the queue, were slightly injured in the legs.
Read also: Death of Thomas. The mayor of Romans-sur-Isère does not “regret” any comments despite death threats
The main suspect in the shooting was arrested in Marseille, in the city of Bricarde in the northern districts, Monday evening. His potential accomplice was arrested 2 hours later in Cavaillon in Vaucluse.
This tragedy occurs almost a year after the death of Thomas, another member of the RC Romans-Péage rugby club. The 16-year-old high school student was stabbed on the night of November 18 to 19, 2023 during a village festival in Crépol, in Drôme, a few dozen kilometers from the town of Saint-Péray.
