Murder in Montpellier: 19-year-old shot dead on nightclub car park
A 19-year-old man from Sète was shot in the head on the car park of the Élite nightclub in Montpellier. The perpetrator or perpetrators remain at large.
Young man from Sète shot dead outside nightclub in Montpellier
According to actu.fr, a 19-year-old man from Sète was fatally shot in the head during the night of Saturday 15 to Sunday 16 August 2026 on the car park of the Élite nightclub (Élysée), avenue de Maurin, in the Garosud district of Montpellier.
At 6:30 on Saturday morning, police and firefighters from Sdis 34 were alerted to a violent brawl on the car park of the establishment, accompanied by gunfire. Upon arrival, the young man was lying on the ground, struck by a projectile fired from a handgun, in cardio-respiratory arrest.
According to initial information, a fight involving around a dozen individuals had broken out, with multiple handgun shots fired. The victim and his cousin, apparently not involved in the dispute, had taken shelter in a ditch, terrified. It was there that the young man was struck in the skull by a stray bullet.
Treated at the scene, he was transferred to the anaesthesia and intensive care unit of Montpellier University Hospital with a life-threatening prognosis. He died on Sunday 16 August in the morning. He had come to spend a festive night with his cousin and friends from Sète, who witnessed the tragedy without being able to intervene.
The shooter or shooters took advantage of the confusion to flee by car. The motive for the dispute remains to be established. The Inter-departmental Judicial Police Service (SIPJ) of Montpellier is leading the investigation. Investigators have secured the recordings from the establishment's CCTV cameras as well as the city's video surveillance footage. The judicial proceedings now concern voluntary homicide. An autopsy will be carried out during the week.
The prefect of Hérault responded immediately on Saturday: a two-month administrative closure order was served on the operator of the Élite nightclub (Élysée). Police and the prefecture are also questioning the role of security staff in their handling of this violent altercation.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)