A deadly journey lasting just over an hour left five people dead in Dunkirk this Saturday, December 14. Between 3:15 p.m. and 4:15 p.m., the killer, Paul D. (who has the same initials as one of the victims, editor's note), aged 22, shot dead a 29-year-old business manager who would be his former employer, two agents security guard who would be his ex-colleagues, as well as two migrants. Arrested after going to the gendarmerie, he is currently in police custody. Here's what we know about the five victims.
Paul Dekeister, 29 years old, business manager in Wormhout
The first victim of the killing, Paul Dekeister, 29, was shot dead in Wormhout (North) around 3:15 p.m., in front of his partner, in front of their home. The young business leader, manager of the road transport company “Dekeister Frères” based in Quaëdypre (North), was in the courtyard of his house, located along the D37. The killer drove up, got out and shot Paul Dekeister. The victim was pronounced dead on the spot despite the rapid intervention of emergency services. According to the first elements of the investigation, Paul Dekeister would have been the suspect's employer in the past. Very involved in local community life, the business manager was also a father.
The municipality of Wormhout condemned “the assassination of a business leader” and mentioned “bereaved families and devastated loved ones”. The mayor of the town, David Calcoen, also expressed his sadness to France 3 : “To lose one of your own, a father… It’s a shock for the whole city”.
Aurélien Cugny, 33 years old, security guard in Loon-Plage
The second phase of the killing took place in Loon-Plage (North), in the port area of Dunkirk. Aurélien Cugny, 33, security agent for the ECS company, was patrolling by car with his colleague Marc Lehmus on the Mardyck road when they crossed paths with the shooter. The latter approached and shot them dead.
Well known to Dunkirk residents, Aurélien Cugny regularly provided security at local balls and carnivals. His loved ones and the carnival community paid tribute to him on social networks. “A figure of carnival security”
et “a big guy with a heart of gold”wrote some Internet users.
Marc Lehmus, 37 years old, security guard and motorcycle enthusiast
Like Aurélien Cugny, Marc Lehmus, 37, lost his life on the road from Mardyck to Loon-Plage. The two ECS colleagues were on patrol together when they were shot dead by the killer. Resident of Bourbourg (North), Marc Lehmus was the father of two daughters and had a twin brother. Passionate about motorcycles, he regularly participated in enduro competitions and was one of the active members of the Moto-club du Littoral, based in Loon-Plage. His disappearance shocked the club, including its president, Isabelle Andrieux.
“We will miss his smile, his kindness, his availability so much”she confided, France 3.
Like Aurélien, Marc Lehmus was not armed at the time of the events. ECS officers only have working dogs to defend themselves, which left them unprotected against the shooter. Employees of the company ECS, subcontractor of the port of Dunkirk, gathered for a collective tribute in memory of the two agents killed. The latter would be ex-colleagues of the killer.
Mustafa, 19, Iranian Kurdish migrant killed near the Loon-Plage camp
After shooting dead the two security guards, the gunman continued on his way and crossed paths with Mustafa and another Kurdish migrant, Ahmid, as they were walking near the railway tracks in Loon-Plage. Both were targeted and shot at point blank range. Mustafa, 19, lived in the Loon-Plage migrant camp, where around 600 exiles live in very precarious conditions. According to witnesses, a 27-year-old exile saw the bodies of the two men lying on the ground after the gunshots. Panicked, many migrants sought to hide, fearing they would in turn be targeted.
Around forty people, including exiles, gathered at the scene of the shooting to lay red roses. The association Utopia 56 also announced two public tributes, one in Calais on Sunday December 15, and the other in Dunkirk on Monday December 16, 2024.
Ahmid, 30, Iranian Kurdish migrant shot dead alongside Mustafa
Ahmid, 30, was with Mustafa when they were shot near the railway tracks in Loon-Plage. Like his compatriot, he was of Iranian Kurdish nationality and resided in the commune's migrant camp, where around 600 exiles live in the hope of crossing the Channel to reach England.
The deaths of Mustafa and Ahmid caused great turmoil within the community of exiles, especially since the associations which usually come to their aid were unable to enter the camp that day, prevented by the circumstances.
The killer's motives remain unknown
The alleged perpetrator of the killing, Paul D., a 22-year-old truck driver, went to the Ghyvelde gendarmerie shortly after 5:20 p.m., claiming to be the author of the five murders. He was immediately taken into custody. His motivations remain to be clarified. Paul D. practices sport shooting in a club according to several sources close to the investigation, which would explain how he obtained the firearms found in his car by the police after the killing.
The alleged murderer “is unknown to the police and the judicial authorities”underlined the public prosecutor of Dunkirk, Charlotte Huet, in a press release this Sunday. “The public prosecutor's office of the Dunkirk judicial court is currently leading a flagrant investigation into these facts. It is entrusted to the organized and specialized crime division (DCOS) of the interdepartmental service of the judicial police of the North (SIPJ 59). The offenses retained for this investigation are those of murders preceded, accompanied or followed by another crime, crimes for which the penalty incurred is life imprisonment. The qualifications of acquisition are also retained. possession, carrying and transport of category A and B weapons”.