Shooting kills 1, wounds 5 in France; Prez Macron condemns racism

Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron has condemned racism in the country after a gunman opened fire on people from a moving car in Trappes and neighbouring La Verrière on Friday, killing one person and injuring five others, including a 12-year-old girl who was shot eight times, The Guardian reported.

Macron visited the scene on Friday night and described the shooting as a premeditated, racist terrorist attack. He warned that racist rhetoric in French society could create an atmosphere conducive to violence and urged the public not to allow the incident to deepen divisions.

The 39-year-old suspect, identified by anti-terrorism prosecutors as Kevin T., allegedly fired an automatic weapon repeatedly over 15 minutes from around 10.30am on Friday. His targets included a petrol station, a medical centre and a children's playground.

The victim killed in the attack was identified as Pengo Bossio Wangi, a young Black man. The wounded included a 12-year-old girl and two cleaners of African origin who were reportedly shot while working near a school in La Verrière. The medical condition of the injured remained unstable, according to prosecutors.

Trappes mayor Ali Rabeh described the shooting as a racist attack that may have been motivated by Islamophobia, warning that the victims appeared to have been targeted because of their perceived ethnicity or religion. He called for a collective rejection of rhetoric that could encourage such violence.

France's anti-terrorism prosecutors are investigating whether the suspect deliberately targeted people based on their actual or perceived race, ethnicity, nationality or religion.

Police stopped the suspect in his car and reportedly recovered a Sten submachine gun and tear-gas grenades. The investigation is continuing as France confronts renewed concerns over racist and extremist violence.