Victim profile, trafficking… What we know after the death of a man shot in the head in Tonkin

A man was found dead this Thursday, October 31, in the Tonkin district of Villeurbanne. An investigation has been opened for intentional homicide.

The traces of blood on the asphalt are still visible. A man died of a gunshot to the head in Villeurbanne in the Tonkin district, on the evening of Thursday October 31.

The murder occurred on Boulevard du 11-Novembre 1918, near where a deal point would be located according to several local residents interviewed by BFM Lyon. This sad event comes almost a year to the day after a series of shootings in the area.

• An investigation has been opened

Once the death of the victim was noted by the police officers dispatched to the scene shortly before 11 p.m., an investigation was opened and entrusted to the Organized and Specialized Crime Division (DCOS). No arrests have yet been made at this stage.

Witnesses report a suspicious gathering of people. One of them was said to be in possession of a firearm and an explosion was heard.

• A victim known to the police

The man killed is an illegal foreigner aged around thirty, BFM Lyon learned this Saturday. He has already been arrested at several deal points in Villeurbanne, in Tonkin but also in other districts.

“He’s a small hand in drug trafficking,” a police source tells us.

Last April, he was arrested for possession of drugs and was placed under house arrest.

• A neighborhood plagued by traffic

The Tonkin district has been plagued by drug trafficking for several years. Two Place Net operations were carried out there in November 2023 and March 2024. But despite an increased police presence, most of the places of dealing have been resettled since the start of the school year.

“There have been more than a hundred police operations since the start of the year for more than 110 arrests,” explained Juliette Bossart-Trignat, the prefect delegated for the defense and security of the Rhône before the assassination.

“As long as there are consumers, there will be dealers. For that, we must always repeat this type of action,” she said.

As for the residents, there is concern. “I am surprised and I am afraid of receiving a stray bullet. We have nothing to do with this but we are dealing with these score-settling, we are obliged,” two residents say in despair at the microphone of BFM Lyon.

According to our information, a new specialized field brigade is due to arrive in Tonkin by the end of the year.