A 39-year-old man already known to police has been arrested after a deadly shooting spree through two towns in the Yvelines department west of Paris, an attack that left one person dead and five wounded, including a 12-year-old girl. The suspect, identified as Kevin T., was found in possession of cocaine, tear gas canisters and a Second World War-era submachine gun, according to a police source.
The National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT) has taken charge of the investigation and has not ruled out a racist motive at this stage, the office said. The case has gripped France, with the suspect’s apparent readiness to kill drawing comparisons to a “murderous odyssey” across the towns of Trappes and La Verrière.
A Morning of Gunfire
The events unfolded on Friday morning shortly after 10 a.m. Driving a grey Renault Clio, Kevin T. — described as dark-haired with short hair, wearing a blue sweatshirt and jeans — first headed to Trappes. Firing from inside his vehicle, he opened fire near Square Van Gogh close to the post office, at Square Pergaud, at the Esso petrol station on the RN10 and in front of a health centre, a police source told Le Figaro.
He then continued to La Verrière, where his shots targeted the area around the Bois-de-l’Étang pharmacy and the SNCF railway station. It was there that a 12-year-old girl was struck by eight bullets, according to Nicolas Dainville, the mayor of the town. She was rushed to Necker hospital in Paris in a critical condition.
Arrest and Arsenal
Kevin T. was arrested quickly by officers from the anti-crime squad (BAC) of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines in Coignières. When searched, he was found with cocaine, tear gas canisters and a submachine gun dating from the Second World War. He is also suspected of having booby-trapped his flat with gas cylinders, a detail that heightened fears during the operation.
The suspect was already known to the police before the attack, adding to questions about how a man with a prior record came to be armed with a military-style weapon and to carry out a rampage across two communities.
Investigation Underway
Witnesses described scenes of panic. One resident recalled hearing someone “mowing everyone down” as the gunman moved from Trappes to La Verrière. The PNAT’s involvement underscores the gravity with which authorities are treating the case, with investigators examining whether the victims were chosen at random or deliberately targeted.
As the inquiry continues, residents of the two towns are left to reckon with a morning of violence that has raised difficult questions about public safety, weapons trafficking and the motives behind an attack that one official described as an attempt to cause a “carnage.”
