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Policeman killed in Avignon: the main suspect denies any involvement

2021-05-13T18:36:27.742Z


Arrested on Sunday evening and at dawn, four people were taken into custody as part of the investigation into the death of the brigadi


A vigorous investigation allowed investigators to put an end to the runaway of the two main suspects.

Five days after the death of police officer Eric Masson, shot dead Wednesday evening during a police operation in the city center of Avignon (Vaucluse), four people were taken into custody as part of an investigation for “intentional homicide of an official of the national police”.

Sunday, around 10:30 p.m., three men were stopped by the men of the BRI of Montpellier at the level of the motorway toll of Remoulins on the A9 in Fournès (Gard). The first, 19, is suspected of being the man who shot Brigadier Eric Masson while he was involved in a drug deal. The second, considered an accomplice and aged 20, was allegedly present at the time of the shootings and had also fled. Both "have already been convicted several times, in particular by the juvenile court, for acts of violence and infringements of the legislation on narcotics", indicates the prosecutor of the Republic of Avignon Philippe Guémas. The Minister of the Interior Gerald Darmanin, welcomed on Monday morning: “Everything leads us to think that they are directly linked to this despicable assassination.[…] It would have been unbearable if these people could continue to live in complete freedom ”.

The third man, aged about fifty, was their driver at the time of the stop on the toll.

"Its exact role must be clarified", indicates the prosecutor who specifies that the three suspects could have intended to join Spain.

2000 euros in cash were found in the car.

The weapon has not yet been found

The sister of the main suspect, suspected of having provided logistical support, in particular by ensuring spotting on the route to Spain, was also placed in police custody this Monday morning at 6.15 am.

Several searches, in particular at the homes of the suspects, took place during the day.

According to a source close to the investigation, the handgun, a short 9mm loaded with "very particular ammunition", used to shoot down Eric Masson, has not yet been found.

Wednesday evening, around 6.30 p.m., police officer Eric Masson was called with his team from the Vaucluse-Gard departmental intervention brigade to intervene on a known deal point in the historic city center of Avignon. On the spot, the police attended an exchange of narcotics. The client is stopped by the sergeant and his teammate, when two men approach. "Eric Masson declined his status as a police officer and the individual took out a handgun and fired twice, hitting him in the chest and abdomen," said the public prosecutor shortly after the facts. The policeman, father of two young children, died of his injuries on the spot. The shooter and his accomplice flee.

From Thursday, between 50 and 60 members of the judicial police (PJ) began a frantic hunt to find the two men. "Friday afternoon, following the first investigations, the investigators of the PJ were able to gather information which allowed us to identify the potential author of the fatal shot and the second individual present at his side. at the time of the facts ”, explained the public prosecutor. According to our information, at the crime scene on rue Râteau, DNA that was difficult to use was discovered on ammunition, but it did not correspond to the two main suspects.

Investigators, however, quickly identified five to six potential targets, who were "in a specific area" of Avignon.

They waited "for the opportune moment" - their potential escape - to intercept them, explains a source close to the investigation.

The two main suspects were then hidden in a cellar until their exit and their arrest Sunday evening around 10:30 pm.

"He thought we were kidnapping him"

During a first hearing, conducted under police custody, the alleged shooter denied any involvement in the death of the police officer and assured that he was "at home with members of his family, not outside" in time of the facts. "He disputes, he is shot and astonished," explains his lawyer, Me Louis-Alain Lemaire. When he was arrested that night, he thought he was being kidnapped. "At the end of a second hearing Monday afternoon, the main suspect continued to deny according to his lawyer, who revealed that he" was now tired and annoyed ". "He cooperates but given the position he adopts, he becomes a little nervous," adds his lawyer from the forecourt of the Avignon police station.

At the same place the day before, several thousand people gathered to pay homage to Eric Masson. A national tribute must be paid to the police officer this Tuesday afternoon in Avignon by Prime Minister Jean Castex who will be accompanied by Gérald Darmanin and the Keeper of the Seals Éric Dupond-Moretti.

Source: leparis

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