Man shot dead by police in Saint-Étienne: what we know

After threatening to attack several passers-by, an armed man ;eacute; with two knives was killed by a municipal police officer on Tuesday afternoon.

What happened in Saint-Étienne ? This Tuesday, November 26, at the end of the afternoon, a man was shot dead in the city center, Place Jean-Jaurès, not far from the Christmas market. “Armed with knives, threatening to cause carnage”, according to the words of the city's mayor, Gaë Perdriau, the individual was killed by a municipal police officer, relays France Bleu. According to local radio, the man was in possession of two knives.

It all started at Place Jean-Jaurès. The individual initially ran after passers-by, causing panic. Then, he fled to Rue Charles de Gaulle. That's where the municipal police intervened. While he was near the Loire prefecture, the man allegedly took a passer-by hostage, holding one of his knives to her throat. It was finally while fleeing towards Place Carnot, via the Grand-Rue, near the Grand-Gonnet tram stop, that the individual was allegedly wounded by a bullet. The shooting was caused by one of the municipal police officers who were trying to arrest him, reports Le Progrès. Wounded, the man was reportedly taken care of by the firefighters and the Samu, then transported to the North hospital in Saint-Priest-en-Jarez, where he eventually died. The elderly woman taken hostage was slightly injured.

Two investigations have been opened: one concerns the individual and the facts he is accused of, the other the fatal shooting by the municipal police. Regarding the knifeman, the prosecutor of Saint-Étienne, David Charmatz, has already made it known that the attack did not appear to have a terrorist motive, even if the identity of the individual and his motivations remain to be determined. Commending “the responsiveness, professionalism and composure of the municipal police officers who were the first responders [and] probably saved “the life of this woman and probably others”, the mayor of Saint-Étienne announced that a psychological unit would be set up for the 10 police officers who intervened, as well as for the witnesses to the scene.