A young man in his twenties was shot dead in central Marseille overnight on Sunday to Monday, French police and emergency services confirmed, following initial reports from BFM Marseille Provence.
Police were called to an incident near Quai de la Joliette, north of the Old Port, just before 01:00 on Monday. Upon arrival, emergency services found the victim, who had been shot approximately ten times with both small and large calibre bullets, including those common in Kalashnikovs.
Investigative services have since been enlisted. Preliminary information from the investigation suggests that four men in a car fled the scene after the shooting. Their car was later found burned out in the 4th arrondissement, a police source revealed.
While the identity of the victim remains unknown, the modus operandi strongly resembles that used in so-called "narchomicides".
Rival criminal gangs are locked in a deadly feud in Marseille, with around 50 people killed in 2023. The city’s drug trade is heavily contested by the "Yoda" and "DZ Mafia" factions, amongst others. In late March, French President Emmanuel Macron announced an unprecedented crackdown on drug trafficking in Marseille and other parts of France.
