One month since Christian Lantenois has not released his favorite camera, a Nikon D5.
Admitted to the intensive care unit of the University Hospital of Reims (Marne) on February 27 after being the victim of a violent assault in the exercise of his profession, this 65-year-old press photographer, employee of the Union of Reims, is still between Life and death.
"Last weekend, dad reopened his eyes several times, only stealthily," said Edouard Lantenois, 31, younger son of Christian.
Then he came out of a coma the last few days.
But the information on his neurological state is too fragmented.
The doctors asked us to be very patient… It is unfortunately likely that my father will never come back among us as he was before.
»Despair and dignity of a son for whom« a mountain has collapsed ».
Two suspects indicted
“He was my father, my mentor, my model, breathed Edouard, journalist-editor at
Progrès
, the daily newspaper in the Rhône-Alpes region.
My greatest revenge would be to become happy again one day.
In the meantime, I refuse to add hate to hate.
The media and political recovery of this news item, even if it concerns me directly, encourages me to keep my distance.
When I see, for example, that
Current Values
has taken the opportunity to revive the controversy over the rules for escorting undocumented foreigners to the border… ”
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Christian Lantenois was allegedly beaten by a 21-year-old Algerian in an irregular situation, who passed through the Paris region and has already been sentenced eight times in 2018 and 2019 for burglary, use of narcotics and violence in meetings.
This man is today indicted for "attempted murder having for object the preparation of a crime and participation in a group with a view to preparing acts of violence".
He is suspected of having hit Christian Lantenois with his fists and using the camera that the victim carried over his shoulder.
Another suspect was indicted for "participation in a group to prepare acts of violence" and eleven other people, present at the scene of the attack, are still wanted.
"We could call him at any time, he never said no"
If the camera lens has been discovered, the body and memory card have not yet been found.
"It appears quite clearly that the attackers, thinking they had been photographed by Christian, were motivated by the fact of recovering his pictures by force," weighs Sébastien Lacroix, one of the editors of the Union de Reims.
From there to leaving a man for dead, lying in the parking lot of a media library ...
Like every Saturday, Christian Lantenois had a busy program this February 27th.
After making a first report in the morning, he was to cover a match of the reserve team of the Stade de Reims, the city's football club, before passing a head in the early evening on a water polo match.
An ordinary Saturday in the life of a local photographer started as a correspondent in 1983. Except that Christian Lantenois was not quite an ordinary photographer.
"He always wanted to chain reports, to do as much as possible," says one of his colleagues.
You could call him at any time of the day or evening, he never said no… despite the somewhat fresh relationship with the management ”.
In the background, a promotion as head of the photo service which would have been finally refused.
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Reims: a demonstration of support at the scene of the attack on photojournalist Christian Lantenois
Apart from football and basketball fields, his two favorite hunting grounds, this native of Corbeil-Essonnes (Essonne), in love with Normandy and Cabourg (Calvados) in particular, walked his silhouette of "big teddy bears" wherever he went. beats the heart of the city of Reims.
In court, at the municipal council, in theaters, in demonstrations and therefore sometimes, also, in the district of the Red Cross, classified "priority security zone".
57 seconds of violence
This February 27, at the beginning of the afternoon, one of the journalists of the editorial staff learns that a gathering of young people "ready to do battle" begins in the Croix-du-Sud, a sub-district of the Red Cross.
A gunshot was also reportedly heard a few blocks away.
The meeting place for these young people possibly armed with sticks is a car park located slightly overhanging Avenue Bonaparte.
It is also a well-known narcotics outlet.
Is this the prelude to a new urban brawl such as Reims has already experienced in recent days?
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Taking advantage of a small gap in his schedule, Christian Lantenois decides to accompany his young colleague. She arrives there in an unmarked car, he travels with the newspaper's vehicle. He posted himself about a hundred yards from the meeting place, thinking he was in a safe place. His attackers spot him. Thirteen people rush on him and surround him. He doesn't have time to take shelter inside his car. His assault reportedly lasted 57 seconds.
