Girl injured in Yvelines shooting is improving, mayor says; suspect sent for psychiatric observation

France’s national anti-terrorism prosecutors have suspended the police custody of the man suspected in Friday’s shootings in Trappes and La Verrière, west of Paris. He has been transferred for psychiatric observation, not released.

The move followed a psychiatric examination on Saturday evening. Prosecutors said the observation could last 48 hours and is intended to establish whether his condition allows further questioning. His police custody had been extended earlier on Saturday after an initial interview, according to French news outlet Actu17. The suspension is not a psychiatric diagnosis or a decision about criminal responsibility.

The shootings on 23 October killed Pengo Bossio Wangi, 26, and wounded five others, including a 12-year-old girl. Anti-terrorism prosecutors are investigating suspected terrorist offences with a possible racist element. President Emmanuel Macron has called the shootings a racist terror attack, but the suspect’s guilt and motive have not been established.

Yassine Bouzrou, a lawyer for Wangi, said the suspension surprised him, according to RTL. He did not dispute the psychiatric assessment. Whether questioning can resume will depend on the outcome of the observation.

Update

A 12-year-old girl badly injured in Friday’s shooting in the Yvelines is “doing better”, the mayor of La Verrière said on Sunday, as the suspect was sent for psychiatric observation.

Nicolas Dainville said he had spoken by phone with the girl’s mother. The child was hit by eight bullets and was in a critical condition on Saturday, according to the National Anti-Terrorist Prosecutor’s Office. No further details about her condition have been reported. [6]

One person was killed and five others injured when a gunman opened fire in Trappes and neighbouring La Verrière, south-west of Paris. The dead man was named as 26-year-old Pengo Bossio Wangi. Dainville said one of the two other people injured in La Verrière was improving, while the other remained in a critical condition. [8]

The 39-year-old suspect, identified in French media as Kevin T, was taken out of police custody after a psychiatric expert recommended an assessment, the prosecutor’s office said. The observation period is expected to last up to 48 hours and will assess whether his health is compatible with further questioning. His custody is suspended during the assessment. [8]

The prosecutor’s office said tests found cannabis and cocaine in the suspect’s bloodstream. The investigation is continuing.