One killed near Paris as prosecutors investigate possible racist motive

Reports published on 23 October 2026 said one person died and others were injured when a gunman opened fire from a vehicle in Trappes and nearby La Verrière, southwest of Paris. A suspect was taken into custody, and anti-terrorism prosecutors began investigating whether racial or religious hatred motivated the shootings.¹²³

Shootings across two towns

The BBC reported that the shootings began in Trappes before the suspect drove to La Verrière. The Guardian said the 15-minute shooting spree extended to three locations: a fuel station, a health clinic and a playground for children. Trappes mayor Ali Rabeh said the gunman fired indiscriminately and appeared to seek multiple casualties.¹²

The reports differed on the number of people wounded. The BBC listed four, including a 12-year-old girl, and cited La Verrière mayor Nicolas Dainville as saying the four wounded people there were in critical condition. The Guardian subsequently reported five wounded victims and quoted the prosecutor as saying their medical conditions were unstable.¹²

According to the Guardian, the girl was shot eight times and was receiving hospital treatment. The newspaper also reported that two people wounded in La Verrière were cleaners of African origin who were at a school. It said an Instagram tribute by the Atch Academy identified the man killed as Pengo Bossio Wangi.²

Suspect and investigation

The anti-terrorism prosecutor identified the 39-year-old suspect as Kevin T., the Guardian reported. Police stopped him in his car and found a Sten gun and teargas grenades. The BBC said the suspect was known to police but not to intelligence services.¹²

The Guardian also reported that the suspect’s home had been rigged with gas canisters and electrical wires attached to a timer, and that a family member was detained for questioning. The National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor’s Office took over the case; the BBC said the offences under investigation included possession of a Category A weapon and conspiracy with a terrorist group to prepare crimes against people.¹²

Motive under examination

Macron visited the scene and described the shootings as a racist terrorist attack, saying people had been targeted because of their skin colour, according to the Guardian. Prosecutors were investigating whether race, ethnicity, nationality or religion determined the choice of victims. The BBC’s earlier report said the suspect’s motive remained unclear.¹²

Rabeh described the attack as racist and suggested an anti-Muslim motive, the Guardian reported. Those assessments accompanied an ongoing investigation into motive. Macron appealed against division, saying: “Don’t let this terrorist attack divide us.”²