A man was shot and injured by police at a train station in Paris after reportedly making threats to harm his wife and children. The incident led to a partial evacuation of Montparnasse train station in the heart of the French capital. According to the Paris prosecutor’s office, the suspect, who was carrying a knife, was already known to police for previous cases of domestic violence.
Law enforcement officers were stationed at the site to apprehend the man. Upon his arrival on a TGV train, he brandished a knife, which prompted an officer to shoot him in the legs in order to disarm him, as stated by the prosecutor’s office. Subsequently, the suspect allegedly inflicted a stab wound to his own throat.
During the altercation, a bystander was struck in the foot by a fragment of a bullet. The injured individual received medical attention from paramedics for non-life-threatening wounds, as reported by Actu Paris.
Before boarding the OUIGO train heading from Rennes to Paris, the suspect had allegedly made threats against his family, as revealed by a police source cited in a Reuters report.
An eyewitness recounted that police fired two shots after instructing the man to drop the knife. The witness stated to Actu Paris that officers were already present on the platform as the first passengers disembarked from the train originating in Rennes. The witness recalled hearing the officers’ warnings followed by the sound of gunshots.
The prosecutor’s office confirmed that emergency services promptly attended to the suspect. A security perimeter was established, leading to a partial evacuation of the station.
In an earlier statement, the prosecutor’s office indicated that initial information suggested a man with a history of domestic violence had wielded a knife, prompting a police officer to use their firearm to intervene. The man then reportedly inflicted a self-inflicted injury. Immediate medical assistance was sought.
Two separate investigations have been initiated, according to the prosecutor’s office. One investigation, overseen by the 3rd Judicial Police District, focuses on the attempted homicide of a person in authority by the knife-wielding individual. The second investigation, led by the IGPN, will delve into the circumstances surrounding the use of a firearm by a person in authority.
The suspect had previously been handed an 18-month suspended sentence in September for alleged instances of domestic violence, as confirmed by the prosecutor’s office.
Jean-Baptise Marty, a journalist at French radio station Europe 1, provided an account of the incident on social media. He described a highly secured area at Montparnasse station where the suspect, who had reportedly threatened his family, was apprehended by police officers upon arrival from Rennes. The armed suspect was met with gunfire from the officers.
