A gunman opened fire from a moving car on Friday, October 23, 2026, killing one person and seriously wounding four others — including a 12-year-old girl — in a drive-by shooting rampage across two towns west of Paris. French anti-terrorism prosecutors have taken over the case and are investigating whether the attack was racially motivated.
The suspect, a 39-year-old man named Kévin T, was arrested later in the day and remains in police custody.
Three crime scenes, minutes apart
The shooting began at around 10:30 a.m. local time in Trappes and the neighboring town of La Verrière, in the Yvelines department roughly 20 miles southwest of Paris. According to French authorities, the gunman fired an automatic weapon from his vehicle at three separate locations — including near a children’s playground, a health center and a gas station.
Trappes mayor Ali Rabeh told broadcaster BFMTV that the gunman “appeared to be firing at random and seemed intent on carrying out a massacre.” The mayor said the person killed — a 26-year-old man of African origin — was shot near a play area, and described it as a “miracle” that there were not more victims. Among the wounded was a 12-year-old girl who was reportedly shot multiple times, and two men aged 29 and 48 who were left in critical condition.
Nicolas Dainville, the mayor of La Verrière, said the gunman at one point got out of his car, shot the two men, then told a passerby “You’re lucky” before continuing down the street.
Anti-terror prosecutors cite possible racist motive
France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office has formally taken charge of the investigation. The office said it is examining whether the shooting amounted to “murder in connection with a terrorist enterprise,” with the aggravating circumstance that the act was committed because of the victims’ race, ethnicity, nation or religion.
Former French prime minister Gabriel Attal said the anti-terrorism office had cited racist theories found in the suspect’s possession and the apparent selection of victims based on skin color. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the gunman fired what appeared to be a military-grade automatic weapon. The suspect, who has a criminal record but was not on a terror watchlist, was arrested in the nearby town of Coignières. Reports say he was carrying a sub-machine gun, tear gas canisters and cocaine at the time of his arrest, and that police who later raided his flat found it booby-trapped with gas containers.
France already on edge
The attack comes at a moment of particular tension in France. Nationwide protests over the cost of living turned violent the previous weekend in some of the worst street unrest the country has seen in recent years, and authorities are bracing for further demonstrations this Saturday, with major museums closing their doors and a larger security presence deployed.
President Emmanuel Macron said on X that the suspect had been taken into custody, thanking law enforcement and expressing deep sorrow over the killing. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu called the case “very serious” and said all resources of the security forces and judiciary were fully mobilized.
The towns of Trappes and La Verrière are lower-income suburbs with large immigrant and Muslim communities — a fact investigators are weighing as they examine the possible motives.
Sources: CNN, The Wall Street Journal, The Times, Telegraph India (Reuters/AP), Times of Israel — all October 23, 2026.