Murder of 18-year-old in Alès: two suspects in custody following shooting at Près Saint-Jean
An 18-year-old man was killed Wednesday evening in the Près Saint-Jean district in Alès. Two suspects have been placed in custody in Nîmes.
Fatal shooting at Près Saint-Jean: third incident in days in Alès
According to midilibre.fr, an 18-year-old man from Montpellier was fatally struck by 12-gauge projectiles Wednesday evening around 19:15 in the Près Saint-Jean district in Alès. This is the third shooting recorded in this area in the space of a few days.
The public prosecutor's office has opened an inquiry into aggravated murder in an organised gang context, overseen by the serious crime unit in Nîmes. According to a source close to the case, this latest tragedy is believed to be linked to a territorial war between drug traffickers.
Neighbourhood residents are expressing anger and exhaustion. "In not even a week we've had three or four shootings, a bullet went through a living room window of an apartment, cars have been riddled with gunfire, a young man was shot in the shoulder and another has been killed. Is that not enough?" one resident testified. Several local residents deplored the absence of Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, who was present in the Gard at the time of the incident. "The minister is in the Gard and he doesn't come to the neighbourhood? they wonder. Perhaps we're not good enough for him."
Shortly after the shots were fired, witnesses reported to police a white Alfa Romeo carrying three men. Thanks to the city's camera network, investigators quickly obtained a registration plate. Heavily armed gendarmes sealed off the outskirts of Alès and carried out multiple road checks throughout the night.
The vehicle being sought was found in the evening in an isolated area, near the roundabout at the mechanical workshop complex on the municipality of Saint-Martin-de-Valgalgues. The car had been set on fire.
At the location of the burnt-out wreck, law enforcement officers arrested a man and a woman. The woman's initial statements caught investigators' attention: she reportedly indicated that she had been asked to come and collect the occupants of the destroyed vehicle. However, no weapon was found at the scene. The two individuals were placed in custody at the offices of the Organised and Specialised Crime Division (DCOS, formerly the Criminal Investigation Division) in Nîmes.
A gendarmerie helicopter took part in the search for part of the night in the Saint-Martin-de-Valgalgues area and in the north of the urban area. The investigation continues.
Source: Google News FR — Crime (fr)