Nice shooting: Marseille prosecutor promises not to abandon neighbourhoods affected by drug trafficking
Two men and a woman were committed for trial following the Nice shooting. Prosecutor Bessone speaks of "blind fire" and a "territorial war".
"We will not give up": Bessone speaks out after Nice shooting
Three suspects committed for trial and remanded in custody — this is the judicial outcome announced Monday at a press conference, the day after the shooting in Nice last week, which left two dead and six wounded. According to France Info, Nicolas Bessone, prosecutor of the Republic for Marseille, reaffirmed on Tuesday on the radio station's airwaves that authorities would not relent in the face of drug trafficking.
The two victims killed were "unconnected to drug trafficking", Bessone recalled. He said he had "heard with great emotion the testimony of the daughter of this family man who was killed in this shooting". This young woman, Miranda, had spoken on France 2 to call for matters to "not happen again" and for "the State to hear [her] despair", describing her intervention as "a cry for help".
The prosecutor responded directly to this appeal. "People want to live freely from their work and peacefully. And as long as drug traffickers are there, it spoils the lives of these neighbourhoods", he declared. "We will continue our action", he insisted.
A "territorial war" with collateral victims
Bessone described the dynamic at work as a "territorial war" with multiple objectives: "to terrorise the opposing side", "to frighten potential customers", "to break the social consensus that may exist in the neighbourhood" and "to bring stronger police intervention".
At this stage of the investigation, "no evidence allows us to determine that a particular person was targeted", the prosecutor specified. "It is the proximity of the dealing point, the desire to seize the territory that caused this tragedy." He stressed what he considers to be the most worrying trend in drug trafficking: "these blind shootings that can reach collateral victims".
DZ Mafia lead being considered
The investigation now aims to "trace back to the instigator", according to Bessone. "All hypotheses are being considered, including that of DZ mafia", the prosecutor added, without ruling out any lead at this stage.
The Nice shooting is part of a context of violence linked to drug trafficking that is affecting several major French cities. Bessone, whose jurisdiction covers Marseille, a city particularly exposed to this phenomenon, reaffirmed the commitment of the prosecuting authorities to continue their action in the neighbourhoods affected, in direct response to Miranda's testimony and to the families of civilian victims.
Source: France Info