The shooting occurred at about 10:30 a.m. local time in the Yvelines department, southwest of Paris, before police arrested the suspect in nearby Coignières, according to French media reports. Authorities said the casualty toll remained provisional as emergency services responded to the incident.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu confirmed the deaths and injuries in a statement on X, describing the events as “Very serious incidents” and saying the suspect had been arrested and placed in police custody.
“All security forces were fully mobilized,” Lecornu said, adding that the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office was monitoring the situation.
According to local reports, the gunman fired at people in several locations as he drove through Trappes and La Verrière. Trappes Mayor Ali Rabeh told BFMTV that the suspect appeared to have fired indiscriminately at people in his path.
Among the injured was a 12-year-old girl, while two men, aged 29 and 49, were also reported wounded in La Verrière, according to French media.
Meanwhile, investigators are working to establish the suspect’s motive and determine whether the shooting was linked to terrorism. The anti-terrorism prosecutor’s initial monitoring of the case did not, by itself, establish that the incident was a terrorist attack.
The circumstances surrounding the shooting, including whether any victims were deliberately targeted, remain under investigation.