French authorities and a local sports organization have identified the man killed in a series of shootings in the Paris suburbs on Friday as Pengo Bossio Wangi, a 26-year-old amateur mixed martial arts fighter. The attack, which left several others wounded, is being investigated by national officials as a targeted act of racist terrorism.
Wangi was a member of the Atch Academy in Aubervilliers, located north of Paris. In a statement released following the tragedy, the academy remembered Wangi for his positive spirit, noting his “smile, energy and generosity” as a member of their community. The club’s tribute emphasized the senseless nature of the violence, stating that “nothing justifies a life being taken like this.”
The violence unfolded on Friday, October 23, 2026, across three separate locations in the communes of Trappes and La Verrière. According to investigators, a gunman opened fire from a vehicle, striking multiple people in a rapid spree. In addition to the fatal shooting of Wangi, at least five other individuals were wounded. Among the injured is a 12-year-old girl, highlighting the indiscriminate yet targeted nature of the assault on the local population.
French President Emmanuel Macron visited the town hall in Trappes later that Friday to meet with community members and local officials. Macron formally characterized the incident as “a racist terror attack,” asserting that the victims were singled out specifically because of their “skin color or perceived religion.” The President’s presence in the suburb was intended to signal national solidarity with a community shaken by the sudden violence and the clear bias-motivated nature of the crime.
Law enforcement acted quickly following the initial reports of gunfire. A suspect was apprehended shortly after the shootings took place. Due to the evidence suggesting a bias-motivated attack and the coordinated nature of the shootings across multiple sites, France’s National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s office has taken formal charge of the investigation. While forensic investigators and police continued to search for evidence at the scenes in Trappes and La Verrière late into the day, the suspect remains in custody.
The community in Trappes remains under a heightened security presence as the legal process begins. The National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor is expected to provide further updates as the interrogation of the suspect progresses and more details regarding the weapon and the vehicle used in the attack become available. For now, the focus of the region remains on the recovery of the five wounded survivors and the mourning members of the Atch Academy who lost a teammate.
