Killings in Lille

Crime continues to take its toll on the French people and their ability to live peacefully in a land that belongs to them.

I have yet to catch up on all the crimes that have taken place since the start of the electoral campaigns. The following story is recent (July 1) and reminds us of how dangerous life can be in the city of Lille in northern France:

Nations Presse reports, using two articles from a local paper, La Voix du Nord, as its sources:

Tonight, around 3:00 a.m., a man opened fire with a war weapon at the entrance of the Theatro discotheque, rue Gambetta, near the prefecture. There were heavy losses: two dead and five wounded.

One of those killed was a woman who worked in the establishment, the other was a client. Confusion reigned on the scene regarding the exact circumstances surrounding the shooting. It seems that the gunman had just been kicked out by the bouncers of the club. He returned quickly with a Kalashnikov and shot several rounds, as the holes on the façade and the cartridges on the round attest. Then he fled in a car with another person. The bouncers were among the wounded. In the discotheque scenes of panic erupted. In shock from this bloodbath, the customers left, several of them bursting into tears. The street was closed off by a large police force.

The judicial police of Lille have been assigned the case.

The second article picks it up:

The man who opened fire on a discotheque in Lille, killing two and injuring six (latest figures) early Sunday morning, fled the scene of the crime with the aid of an accomplice who drove the car, according to a source close to the investigation.

The Regional Hospital of Lille (CHRU) also indicated that six others had been admitted for "psychological trauma".

The suspect and his accomplice were still at large on Sunday afternoon and were actively pursued by thirty investigators of the judicial police of Lille. The technical and scientific police reports were finished on Sunday while several witnesses were still being interrogated.

The alleged killer, Fayçal Mokhtari is from Tourcoing. He is 32 and is known for having committed several crimes, thefts, acts of violence, drug trafficking, abuse of confidence…

Note: The 26-year-old woman killed was the hat check girl. The client was a man just about to leave the club. The killer did not enter the club but shot through its façade with powerful ammunition. He is now possibly in Belgium. A man-hunt is underway.