The small town of Ghyvelde (North) woke up in amazement this Sunday. On Saturday, the man who surrendered the day before to the local gendarmerie after killing five people in a bloody journey around Dunkirk, is one of his own.
The chronology of the facts
Saturday around 3:15 p.m., a 29-year-old man, Paul, received several gunshots at his home in Wormhout, in the Nord department. At 3:20 p.m., the Wormhout gendarmerie received an alarming phone call: a man had used a gun and an unconscious wounded man was lying on the ground in the courtyard of his home. When the police arrived on the scene, they could only note the death of this man, aged 29.
From the testimonies, it appears that the victim, surprised by the noise of a car in his yard, went out to see the driver, who got out of his vehicle to fire several times, and then drove away. The fleeing car is said to have headed towards the coast, a search system has been set up.
Around 4 p.m., in Loon-Plage, 27 km from Wormhout, two security agents who were working were shot and killed near the Flandres refinery. A few kilometers further, near the migrant camp on the Marwick road, two other victims were recorded.
Less than two hours later, a man spontaneously presented himself at the Ghyvelde gendarmerie, 25 km away. He claimed to be the author of the Wormhout homicide, but also of the four others. He was taken into custody for questioning, and was still there as of Sunday morning. According to Dunkirk public prosecutor Charlotte Huet, “this measure can last up to 96 hours, that is to say until Wednesday”.
A flagrant investigation was opened by the Dunkirk public prosecutor’s office, it was entrusted to the organized and specialized crime division (DCOS) of the interdepartmental service of the judicial police of the North (SIPJ 59).
Who is the shooter?
Born in Dunkirk, Paul D., 22, grew up in Ghyvelde, 25 km from Wormhout, site of the first homicide. He was a truck driver. According to our information, the young man was registered with a shooting club. Which probably explains why four weapons were found in his vehicle, parked in front of the gendarmerie gate and immediately sealed by the gendarmes. The suspect is also believed to be the legal possessor of a Smith and Wesson 44 Remington rifle which is unknown if it was found in the car.
Paul D. – his first name is like his first victim – grew up in a suburban neighborhood of small brick houses lined up in a row. The young man lived with his parents and his brother. One of their neighbors is amazed: she has known Paul D. for 18 years and cannot believe that he is the one who caused fear in the region on Saturday. “He’s the nicest guy you could ever know!” He’s basically a hunter, but he’s a nice guy, he’s a driver. He got all his driving licenses in one go and then went straight to work. »
Unknown to the police, justice and territorial intelligence services, Paul D. will have to explain the motivations for his action, which seemed premeditated for the first since he would have worked for his first victim, who managed a transport company.
Who are his victims?
Paul Dekeister, shot dead in front of his partner in Worhmout, was 29 years old. He managed the transport company Dekeister Frères, based in Quaëdypre, and may have employed his killer.
Aurélien and Marc, the security guards, who were working at the time of their death, were 33 and 37 years old. Marc was the father of two children. According to Delta FM and La Voix du Nord, they were employed by the Dunkirk company ECS, which secures the port area, and which gathered on Saturday evening to pay tribute to them.
The last two men killed, whose identity must be confirmed, according to the Dunkirk prosecutor’s press release this Sunday, “could be of Iranian nationality, aged 19 and 30 and staying in the neighboring camp”.
