Two men were killed and six people injured on Monday, May 11 in the Moulins district in Nice. The Marseille JIRS is now leading the investigation into this shooting linked to drug trafficking. Burned vehicles, shooter on a scooter, video shared on social media and political responses: investigations continue after this new broad daylight attack.
The Interregional Specialized Jurisdiction (JIRS) of Marseille has taken over the investigation opened after the shooting that occurred Monday around 3:20 p.m. in the Moulins district in Nice. A man who arrived on an electric scooter opened fire in front of the store “Le palais sucré,” near a drug dealing point.
Investigations found nineteen shell casings of 7.62 x 25 caliber at the scene. The public prosecutor’s office mentions “burst fire.” Two men were killed and six people injured.
The Marseille public prosecutor’s office opened an investigation for “murders by organized gang, attempted murders by organized gang and criminal association.” The investigation was entrusted to the Interdepartmental Judicial Police Service of the Alpes-Maritimes.
Investigations also focus on the fire that destroyed the vehicles used by the attackers. One hour after the shooting, a Renault Captur was found burned in Roquefort-les-Pins, about fifteen kilometers from Nice. According to the prosecutor, the vehicle had been stolen the day before in Marseille. A scooter was inside.
Investigators are now seeking to establish links between this shooting and several recent attacks in the same area. During the night of May 8-9, the Montel Market store had already been targeted by gunfire and an explosion. A 15-year-old teenager was also shot and wounded on May 9 in the Nice-East district.
Video of the “scooter killer” circulates on social media
Twenty-four hours after the incident, a video shared on social media is circulating widely. The images, which have not yet been authenticated by the courts, appear to show how the attack unfolded and the shooter’s escape.
According to several witnesses, a man dressed in a long dark parka and wearing a hood arrived on an electric scooter with a Carrefour shopping bag pressed against his stomach. The weapon used, described by a former military officer present at the scene as an “old machine gun,” was allegedly concealed in this bag.
The video also shows a coordinated escape. The shooter reportedly got into a car parked nearby before leaving with several accomplices. The images also show the suspect placing his scooter in the vehicle’s trunk before getting in on the passenger side.
This sequence fuels the investigations of the Marseille JIRS into this new attack linked to drug trafficking in the Moulins district.
New municipal police station and reactions after the shooting
Present on site on Monday and then returning Tuesday morning to Place des Amaryllis, Eric Ciotti announced the opening of a municipal police station next Monday in the Moulins district.
The premises currently occupied by the Adam association (Homework Assistance and Moulins Activities) will be reallocated to this police presence. The mayor of Nice also requested reinforcements of investigators and announced the creation of mixed brigades bringing together national police and municipal police.
In a statement, Eric Ciotti stated that drug traffickers had “declared war on the French state” and that it was “losing it.” The mayor is calling for “general mobilization and national action” against drug trafficking.
Several political reactions followed this announcement. Anthony Borré called for “exceptional resources” in the face of a situation of “extreme gravity.” The former first deputy under Christian Estrosi’s administration believes that a new municipal police station will not be enough to solve the “underlying problem” and also demands resources for “prevention, education, family support and republican recovery of the district.”
The ViVA! collective for its part denounces “the failure of the all-security approach.” The group criticizes the closure of the Adam association’s premises and calls for “a comprehensive and courageous response” combining justice, community policing, prevention, public services and support for the associative sector.
The French Communist Party, through Julien Picot, believes that “the excessive communication about insecurity developed by Éric Ciotti during Nice’s municipal election campaign has no effect on reality.” The PCF calls for an emergency meeting between the State and the city to define immediate measures against drug trafficking in Nice.
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