Fear in the North, after the murder of 5 people on Saturday. A 22-year-old man went to the gendarmerie on Saturday, accusing himself of five murders committed in the afternoon around Dunkirk. The assailant is unknown to the police. We do not yet know the motivations of the perpetrator of the shooting. Who are the victims? We take stock of the latest known elements.
Paul, a 29-year-old business manager
In total, five people were shot and killed during three different events: in Wormhout, in Flanders, then in two separate locations in the town of Loon-Plage. The alert was given in the afternoon in Wormhout. Firefighters then discovered a man lying on the ground in the courtyard of his home. He was hit by several shots, including one to the head. According to France Bleu Nord, the 29-year-old victim, Paul D., was the head of a repair company. He had two children and was the former employer of the shooter.
According to the victim's wife, her husband went out after hearing the sound of a vehicle in the courtyard of their home. A man then allegedly shot the victim several times before leaving the scene. In a message posted on Facebook, the municipality of Wormhout deplores “the assassination of a business manager” which leaves “bereaved families and devastated loved ones”.
Marc and Aurélien, two security agents
Once arrived at Loon-Plage, the shooter headed towards two officers responsible for monitoring the area. Both worked for the ECS company, a port subcontractor, according to local radio Delta FM. The two officers, who were unarmed, were hit by gunfire shortly after 4 p.m. Aurélien C. was 33 years old, and Marc L. 37, according to our colleagues from France 3 Hauts-de-France.
Both seemed well known to Dunkirk residents. During their career, they had to secure balls and other carnivals in the region. Marc, father of two daughters, was part of a motorcycle club on the Loon-Plage coast, just like his twin brother, Jérôme. He lived in Bourbourg. Contacted by Le Parisien, the club director, Isabelle Andrieux, described a man “who always had a smile, very dedicated, very willing and available”.
Every year, Marc participated in the organization of the big Loon-Plage motorcycle race, which takes place at the end of October. The club volunteers met on Saturday around 5:30 p.m. to debrief the race, reports the club president. His twin brother, Jérôme, was present there.
Two migrants of Kurdish origin
Among the victims also include two migrants of Iranian Kurdish nationality, according to France 3 Hauts-de-France. The two men were aged 19 and 30. These two men could be collateral victims, shot dead near the Loon-Plage migrant camp.
“Two of the victims were exiled people who were surviving in one of the informal camps in the region, and had the hope of reaching England,” reports the Utopia 56 association.
When questioned, the head of the association in Dunkirk, Salomé Bahri, indicated that her team was “on the ground” at the time of the shots. She then asked her team “to leave”. A tribute to the two migrants is planned this Sunday in Calais at the end of the day, indicates the Utopia 56 association. A second tribute will also be paid to them on Monday in Dunkirk, according to France 3.
