“Many residents escaped by miracle”: after the fatal shooting in Trappes, Mayor Ali Rabeh clarifies the circumstances of the attack

Guest of BFM/RMC this morning, Ali Rabeh, the Génération.s mayor of Trappes, remains shaken by the shooting which left his city in mourning last Friday. In a deadly journey lasting around twenty minutes, Kévin T. caused the death of a 26-year-old man, Pangi Bossio Wangi, and seriously injured several residents. A 12-year-old girl received eight bullet holes near La Verrière station. She is “doing better” according to Ali Rabeh and has been “courageous” after undergoing several operations. “On Sunday, she regained consciousness and was able to talk with her family,” he says. Another victim remains in serious condition.

Concerning the 26-year-old man who lost his life, Pengo Bossio Wangi, he was not from Trappes, but from Poissy. “He had the only mistake of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and with the wrong skin color,” describes Ali Rabeh, who believes that many people “survived by a miracle.” “We owe it to the weather – (there were not many people at the market where the shooter went, Editor’s note) – and to the fact that his old weapon jammed on numerous occasions.” Indeed, as prosecutor Olivier Christen indicated, “at least 128 munitions were used” by the suspect.

“Racism kills”

Since Friday, “fear has dominated” among the Trappists, who are suffering from “collective trauma”. “We have feared a tragedy like this in the region for a long time,” continues the councilor, who evokes a “stigma” of certain individuals because of their origins or their skin color. “Racism kills,” he asserts, before targeting certain political figures who, according to him, spread dangerous ideas. “When Edwige Diaz (RN) continues to say that Trappes is an Islamic Republic, for example.” He also mentions François Bayrou who spoke of “migratory submersion” or Valérie Pécresse who affirmed that “the great replacement was a reality”. According to him, Minister Aurore Bergé, who believes that the theory of the great replacement is a political debate, more than racism, should also review her speech.