Shooting in Terres-Sainville: two dead, 29 murders in Martinique since January
Two young men aged 23 and 25 were shot dead on Sunday evening on rue Pierre-Sémard in Fort-de-France. Serge Letchimy is calling for exceptional measures against drug trafficking.
Two dead and two wounded on rue Pierre-Sémard following another shooting in Terres-Sainville
Two young men aged 23 and 25 were shot dead during the night of Sunday, 8 November, on rue Pierre-Sémard in Fort-de-France, reports a1ere.franceinfo.fr. Two other people — a Martinique national and a Saint Lucian national — were wounded and transported to the university hospital.
The incident occurred less than 48 hours after the murder of a 20-year-old young woman in a bar in the same Terres-Sainville neighbourhood. Around 11 p.m., two vehicles drove down the street and their occupants opened fire. Thankfully, according to a cousin of one of the wounded who knew both victims, no children were on the street at the time of the shooting.
"They were two friends of mine. Two cars drove past and started shooting. They were good people, even though they didn't have work at the moment, with the crisis," she said.
"He was in the wrong place at the wrong time"
Dylan's mother, 25, lost both her son and her cousin in the shooting. She describes a composed young man, polite, who was not looking for trouble, and recounts having spent the last few hours with him without imagining she would soon learn of his death.
"I don't even know what to think anymore. When it happens to others, it's hard, but even worse when it happens to us. I didn't think I'd lose my son like this, see him lying lifeless. It's hard for a mother to lose her son like this. For him to die like this, for nothing. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time."
Whilst awaiting the return of her son's body, she hopes that the violence afflicting the streets of Martinique will finally cease.
28 and 29 murders since the beginning of the year: Letchimy calls for an exceptional response
This shooting brings the number of murders recorded in Martinique since January to 28 and 29. Faced with this escalation, Serge Letchimy, president of the Executive Council of the Martinique territorial collectivity (CTM), has called for an exceptional mobilisation.
He points to the growing grip of drug trafficking on Martinique society.
"Drugs and violence have established themselves socially, they are at the heart of families. This is a matter linked to drug trafficking, that is to say a globalised trafficking whose striking power from outside, from those who send weapons and drugs, is sometimes greater than the power of the State."
Letchimy announced the holding of a meeting within 48 hours at the CTM, bringing together mayors, parliamentarians and actors wishing to mobilise, with the objective of putting pressure on the State in order to obtain reinforced means to fight trafficking.
"In a situation of exceptional war, I have asked to respond with exceptional means," he declared.
Closure of entry points and one hundred neighbourhood mediators among the measures demanded
Among the demands already put forward by the president of the Martinique executive: the closure of the 40 entry points to Martinique and a strengthening of controls in ports and airports, to stem the flow of weapons and drugs into the territory.
On the prevention side, Letchimy intends to present around thirty measures to the government, focusing on childhood, early childhood and social integration through sport and culture. Among the proposals are the creation of a green number "Call Violence" and the recruitment of one hundred mediators in the neighbourhoods, tasked with identifying at-risk situations and alerting police forces.
"We must absolutely embark on a process of reclaiming ourselves," stressed Letchimy, emphasising the need for collective mobilisation against money laundering and trafficking.
Reinforced security measures deployed in the neighbourhood from Monday evening
The prefecture announced the implementation of security measures in the area from Monday evening. Officers from the territorial directorate of the national police (DTPN), members of the anti-crime brigade (BAC) and mobile gendarmes are to be mobilised in the Terres-Sainville neighbourhood.
The prefect also announced spot checks in the early evening as well as the strict application of orders for the closure of shops at 8 p.m. and food shops at 11 p.m.
Source: Google News MQ — Crime