“A man likely to be Abdoul Diallo”, suspected of the murder of Lilian Dejean, “has just been arrested in Portugal under the European arrest warrant” issued after the tragedy, Grenoble prosecutor Eric told the press. Valiant.
Checks in progress”
“Checks are underway to ensure the identity of the person arrested,” he added, without giving details on the location of the arrest.
“It’s the end of a nightmare and the beginning of a long legal journey,” lawyer Romain Ruiz, who represents Lilian Dejean’s family, responded to AFP.
This 49-year-old cleaning agent was shot in the chest early on Sunday, September 8, while he was trying to prevent a man from fleeing who had caused a traffic accident while driving a powerful car. rental registered in Poland.
The father died shortly after in hospital. His death aroused immense emotion among his colleagues and residents, who paid him vibrant tributes the day after the murder, then during a white march. He was then buried in Guadeloupe.
A judicial investigation had been opened in particular for “murder of a person entrusted with a public service mission”.
The identity papers of the suspect, a 25-year-old man named Abdoul Diallo and residing in Saint-Martin-d'Hères in the suburbs of Grenoble, were found in the abandoned car, a large engine rented in his name.
“Justice can be done”
This man was already known to the courts, in particular for “theft, violence and drug trafficking”, and for having beaten, with five fellow prisoners, another prisoner at the Varces remand center (Isère) in June 2023.
Tried in August 2023 for this violence, he received a four-month prison sentence accompanied by a ban on possessing a weapon for five years. A week after his return to prison, he was involved in further violence for which he was to be tried on October 3.
On the run since the tragedy, he was the subject of a European arrest warrant.
It is, according to Eric Vaillant, “thanks to the investigations carried out by French police officers” from the organized and specialized crime divisions of Lyon and Grenoble, and “thanks to European police and judicial cooperation”, that the suspect was able to be arrested.
“The alleged murderer of our municipal agent Lilian Dejean has just been arrested in Portugal,” greeted the environmentalist mayor of Grenoble Eric Piolle on X. “Today I have a thought for Lilian’s family, whom I met several times: justice can be done to them,” he added.
A renewed tension in Grenoble
Since September 8, his loved ones have “experienced moments of doubt and despondency,” their lawyer said. “But they never imagined that we would not arrest him” and “never questioned the work of the justice system and the police.”
“Today they are relieved, because they have a prospect of obtaining explanations,” continued Mr. Ruiz.
Since the start of the year, the metropolis of Grenoble has experienced renewed tension, with the judicial authorities no longer hesitating to speak of “gang war”. At the end of October, the prosecutor counted around fifty gunshots linked to drug trafficking since the start of 2024, which left six dead.
With AFP
