Third homicide in a weekend in the northern districts of Marseille

A young man in his twenties was shot dead on Sunday in the middle of the street by one or more individuals driving in the northern districts of Marseille where two other homicides were perpetrated during the weekend in two sensitive cities.

The victim was walking in the street, at the corner of rue de Lyon and boulevard du captain Gèze, not far from the town hall of the 15th and 16th arrondissements of Marseille, when a car approached her, according to testimonies collected by the police.

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It was around 3:00 p.m. and the young man reportedly exchanged a few words with the occupant (s) of the vehicle before taking a few steps and collapsing on the roadway, fatally shot by a gunshot.

The car then started and disappeared in an unknown direction.

Supported by firefighters, the victim died during his transfer to hospital.

An autopsy, due on Monday, should clarify whether the victim was hit by one or more projectiles.

If the first findings indicate a single hole, witnesses said they heard three shots.

The Marseille criminal brigade was seized of the investigation by the prosecution.

Outbreak of violence

This is the third homicide perpetrated during the weekend in the northern districts of Marseille.

Friday around 11:30 p.m., a 26-year-old man was killed by bullets, hit by several shots including head and abdomen, in the city of Olives (13th) considered a high place of drug trafficking.

The victim was known for crimes unrelated to drug trafficking.

Saturday evening, around 9:00 p.m., another 31-year-old man was also killed, his body riddled with a dozen projectiles, in the city of Bégude Nord where he was from and where he did security and housekeeping.

To read also: Marseille: suspected of belonging to a "vast drug trafficking", 18 people arrested

No link has been established between these three cases for which the police are looking for possible witnesses. The Bouches-du-Rhône, and Marseille in particular, have experienced an outbreak of violence since the beginning of the summer and the homicide of this Sunday brings to 10 the number of people killed since June 25 (out of 17 since the start of year), most of them related to drug trafficking.