Death of 27-year-old man in Chambéry, night of urban violence in Savoy
A 27-year-old man died on Tuesday 8 September in Chambéry after being found wounded by gunshot. Urban violence broke out in several districts of the city.
Chambéry shaken by night of riots following death of driver wounded by gunshot
A 27-year-old man died in the afternoon of Tuesday 8 September in Chambéry, several hours after being found seriously wounded in the head whilst at the wheel of his vehicle, according to ladepeche.fr. Subsequently, significant urban violence broke out in several districts of the Savoy prefecture, a city typically spared this type of incident.
Driver wounded by gunshot discovered driving erratically
According to a police source cited by AFP, law enforcement officers noticed a vehicle driving erratically at low speed in the Biollay district. As they approached to conduct a check, they discovered that the driver had been shot in the head, in the middle of a large pool of blood. His condition was life-threatening at the time emergency services took charge of him.
The prefecture clarified in a statement that the violence "broke out several hours after law enforcement officers took note of a driver who had adopted dangerous driving behaviour and who may have refused to comply with police directions, which ended in the Biollay district". The man, born in 1999, was taken to Chambéry University Hospital, where he died in the afternoon. The city mayor confirmed his death.
According to information from Dauphiné Libéré, the victim may have a poor record with the justice system for various offences.
Confusion on social media, trigger for unrest
A source close to the case told AFP that confusion had rapidly spread regarding possible police involvement in the driver's wounding. "There was undoubtedly confusion regarding possible police involvement in the young man's wounding and very quickly it spread like wildfire on social media", the source said.
These rumours triggered several hours of incidents in the Biollay and Chambéry-le-Haut districts and in the neighbouring municipality of Cognin. According to the authorities, "several dozen determined individuals" set fire to or attempted to set fire to vehicles, bins, private buildings and public buildings, while vandalising several shops.
Significant material damage
The town hall recorded significant destruction. The Biollay social centre, already extensively damaged in the 2023 riots, was completely destroyed by fire. An office of social housing provider Cristal Habitat was "devastated" and a supermarket vandalised. Six vehicles were also set alight in these districts, classified under city policy but described as traditionally quiet.
IGPN seized, accidental theory being investigated
The Chambéry public prosecutor's office opened an investigation to determine the causes of the wounds. The General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN) was also seized "in order to determine the origin of these wounds, for which at this stage no link can be made with police action taken as part of the traffic stop", according to the prefecture.
The Republic's Prosecutor for Chambéry, Xavier Sicot, provided several clarifications during an initial statement. "It appears that no impact was observed on the victim's vehicle, nor on that of the national police", he stated. The findings of the technical and scientific police furthermore identified no elements corresponding to the impact of ballistic projectiles from outside the vehicle.
Sicot also added that immediate checks carried out on the service weapons of the police officers involved "demonstrated that these had not been used, since no ammunition was missing". According to BFMTV, investigators are now favouring the theory of a "self-inflicted or accidental act". An autopsy is scheduled for Wednesday 9 September to establish the exact causes of death.
Source: Google News LU FR