The investigation is progressing quickly. Two people were arrested this Monday, after the death of Nicolas, 22, killed on Halloween evening in the parking lot of a nightclub in Saint-Péray (Ardèche), this Monday, November 4, Le Parisien learned from close sources of the investigation. A suspect was arrested in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône) and another in Cavaillon (Vaucluse). They could be simple performers, responding to a sponsor.
On the night of Thursday October 31 to Friday November 1, around 2:30 a.m., a man, “dressed in black and hooded”, opened fire in front of the “Le Seven” nightclub, near Valence, injuring three people. One of the victims, Nicolas, died from his injuries this Saturday.
According to our information, a suspect was arrested by the staff of the Anti-Crime Brigade (BAC) North of Marseille “on a deal point” in the Bricarde district, located in the 15th arrondissement of the Marseille city, at the request of the investigators from the Valencia judicial police, carrying out a rapid and efficient investigation. Aged 19, he is of Italian nationality. He is suspected of being behind the shot which killed the young rugby player. He was to be taken to Valencia in the evening to respond to investigators. A second man, aged 23, was arrested in Cavaillon.
VideoMurder of Nicolas, one year after that of Thomas: “It rekindles the pain”
According to our information, the two men are suspected of having burned the car in which they fled, after having fired at the nightclub. One of the hypotheses favored by investigators is that the two suspects were sponsored as part of a racketeering story against the night establishment.
The shooter fled
According to the first elements of the investigation, the perpetrator of the shooting appeared in front of the nightclub with a handgun. He first shot the security guard, located at the entrance to the establishment, injuring him in the knee.
The individual then walked towards the entrance of the nightclub, where customers were queuing to enter, and opened fire, again, several times. Two people were injured by gunfire, a 24-year-old young woman, hit in the left leg and Nicolas, a 22-year-old young man, hit in the head. The suspected shooter then fled.
A bullet hole, corresponding to a 9 mm caliber weapon, was found on the body of a vehicle parked in the parking lot, the window of which was broken.
Two other victims still hospitalized
Emergency transport to Valence University Hospital, with a life-threatening prognosis, the 22-year-old young man hit in the head succumbed to his injuries. He “died early in the afternoon,” deputy prosecutor Charlotte Cerna told AFP.
The two other injured people were still hospitalized this Saturday, Charlotte Cerna said. Nicolas, the victim, played in the same rugby club as young Thomas, killed during a ball in Crépol (Drôme) in 2023.
