5 killed after shooting incident rocks migrant camp in France, 22 YO gunman surrenders to police

At least five people were killed after a shooting incident rocked a migrant camp near the northern French city of Dunkirk. Shortly after the incident, a 22-year-old man claimed to be the gunman and handed himself to the authorities at the Ghyvelde police station, The Guardian reported. The alleged gunman surrendered at 5 pm (local time) on Saturday.

Four people - two security guards and two migrants - were fatally shot on the Loon-Plage stretch of coastline near Dunkirk. According to AFP, the gunman also confessed to having committed an earlier shooting in the nearby town of Wormhout. Dunkirk’s Mayor Patrice Vergriete said that the authorities found a weapon in his car. However, the motive of the attack remains unclear.

Vergriete went on to describe the incident as a “tragedy” and said “an individual coldly murdered several people” in the area. Xavier Bertrand, head of the region’s assembly, later confirmed on X that five people had died in a “tragic event”.

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Probe underway

Emergency services are still stationed at the migrant camp as the authorities continue to investigate the matter. Loon-Plage is home to several temporary settlements housing migrants. It is located near Calais and the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the Channel.

People attempting to reach the UK via small boats have used similar camps along France’s northern coast. According to the charity Care4Calais, refugees have been camping in the area for years, predominantly “Kurdish or Afghan and including many families with small children”.

With inputs from agencies.