Two people have died and six others have been injured, three of them seriously, this Monday afternoon in a shooting in the neighborhood of The Mills from the French city of A stringas reported by local authorities and the prosecutor’s office, who link the events with drug trafficking. The prosecutor of Nice, Damien Martinellihas initially confirmed the number of two dead and three injured, while later the prefecture of Maritime Alps has updated the figure with six injured, including three seriously.
The perpetrators fled and a large police force was deployed in the area where the shooting took place, which occurred after several days of incidents linked to drug trafficking in different neighborhoods of the Mediterranean city, which had already left at least one injured. The shooting occurred in Amaryllis Square, a busy spot in the Les Moulins neighborhood, where children’s play areas are located behind the security perimeter installed by law enforcement, the regional newspaper Nice Matin explained.
The mayor of Nice, the right-wing Eric Ciottipresent at the scene along with the prefect of Alpes-Maritimes, Laurent Hottiaux, denounced an escalation of violence. “Currently we no longer fight on equal terms against drug traffickers,” declared Ciotti, who described the situation as “a war declared against the Republic.”
A neighborhood resident, mother of a high school student, told local media that her son saw “a four hooded people running” when he was returning from school with a friend. The authorities also warned of major traffic disruptions in the west of Nice.
Firefighters reported on social networks that the Les Moulins sector and its surroundings remained “completely blocked” due to the operation deployed. “All police services are mobilized to locate the perpetrators, currently fugitives, and bring them to justice as soon as possible,” declared the prefect (government delegate) on the social network X.
