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French authorities said on Friday they feared a serial killer was on the loose after a gunman shot dead a 47-year-old mother near her home in a Paris suburb, using a weapon employed in three other killings in the same area within the last five months.
"This series of killings deserves our maximum attention and we are putting all our resources into this affair," Interior Minister Claude Gueant told Europe 1 radio.
In each of the four shootings, the first of which was in November, a lone gunman used the same 7.65 mm caliber semi-automatic pistol, prosecutors said. The latest shooting took place on Thursday when a gunman on a motorbike struck.
"It was a pistol, a semi-automatic pistol," said Marie-Suzanne Le Queau, public prosecutor in Evry, a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris. "This element alone is not enough to affirm at this stage that it is all part of the same affair."
There were obvious similarities in the way the latest three killings were carried out in February, March and April, but no clear link to the first killing in November, she added.
Around 100 investigators were working on the case and police were examining several leads, she said. The woman was a widow and had an 18-year-old son, Le Monde reported.
The motives of the murders remain a mystery, Le Monde wrote, as the last two victims appear to have no connection with the first two and come from very different backgrounds.
Reuters contributed to this report.
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In each of the four shootings, the first of which was in November, a lone gunman used the same 7.65 mm caliber semi-automatic pistol..."This element alone is not enough to affirm at this stage that it is all part of the same affair."
I'm thinking it'd be a pretty safe bet.
Doesn't sound like a serial killer to me at all. Serial killers pick victims based on race, gender, etc. They have preferences. This is a spree killer, I think.
Too much time between attacks.
Some serial killers pick victims at random.
This is not possible as private citizens are not allowed to posses a gun in France.
As usual, the same stupid, imbecile argument from a sure gun nut.
For every person killed in France, by a serial killer or otherwise, we have about a thousand murders in this country, with a gun. This is so unusual in France that none other than the Interior Minister gets involved, so get your moronic comment and shove it.
cunical, that is not true. Guns are restricted in France. However, they are not banned.
As usual, the same stupid, imbecile argument from a sure anti gun nut. It is the lack of human decency and compassion, and respect for other peoples rights. Yes, it was the gun's fault. It is Good Friday rasputin bitch, I'm going to church and pray that a miracle happens and your head pops out of your ass.
Teling someone to shove a moronic point you can't cope with would put you in the forty percent of contenders who would murder without the need for a gun - a rate that continues to drop despite their proliferation. While that rate may be triple France's, it's nowhere near your desperately misleading thousandfold.
France is one of the toughest gun control countries and is becoming one of the most victimized, lately there have been allot of gun related crimes. and France is not alone in this, there have been a increasing amount of gun related crimes all across Europe. I think its people that are the problem. lets arm everyone and get it over with. these gunmen hate it when you shoot back. could be terrorist but I have doubts on this one, but the possibility is there.
Do the murders have any similarities the ones that Mohamed Merah committed?
Are they attempts to terrorise the French people?
It seems as if this person is improving their M.O. so the first case and the last one are not the same. Or it could be a case of one gun and multiple killers like a gang would use. That would account for the no relationship to the other victims.
I use to live in Europe. They have guns, all they have to do is register it with a gun club name Serial Number and type of gun. That way if it is stolen they know who it belongs to so it can be returned - with some questions.
A gang member then just has to go to the club put the key in the lock and pull out the gun when done put it back. Then pass the key to another member of the gang and they do the same thing. The club doesn't know who owns what box by face, they go off the key.
Don't give arab looking people jobs. Period!
@master I guess that will solve all the worlds problems, if they don't work they cant hurt you, what makes you so sure that is whatsgoing on? how do you know it was a Arab? are you aware that most the ME terrorist are from a wealthy educated background, and they don't have to work! are you aware that there are allot of nuts running around that are not Muslim, you dont have to follow a pattern if you don't want to, there are nuts in every culture, and you are not the center of the Universe. grow up.
Well just some more of those knot heads that think they have a right to kill who ever they don't agree with on their religion issues. France has had a lot of trouble with these people from other countries burning and killing the french citizens and their military.
At first, I thought this was just an old post referring to the first round of killing of the soldiers. Interesting that this is another batch. Interesting that it's basically the same mode of transportation. Shooter on a motorcycle/scooter.
7.65mm is a rare pistol round.
Not really. 7.65mm is just a 32acp round. Not really used in the US much as it's considered deficient as a defense round. Lots of guns out there use them though and many people still carry those guns as backups and pocket guns, just not as their primaries.
It has become a very common purse pistol for women in the USA actually.
The 9mm and .40 cal slides are more difficult for average to petite women to operate while a well broken in .32 slide is easier making it a favorite for many ladies interested in owning/shooting a weapon.
It is light for a defense round yes but for close in work being an automatic it will get the job done and ANY handgun will scare off most ( not all) but most aggressive behaviors. Even a little .22 can Kill while 7 rounds from a .32 (or 7.65 mm) in about 2 seconds will do a fine job on unarmored thugs and is unlikely to cause unwanted wounding's from pass through bullets in high traffic area's(unlike a .45 cal which could kill a passerby as well as the target).
I agree it is not much in use with Men in the USA. 9mm is still popular but the .40 cal more so these days. It is pretty much the standard for Police and Security these days. Better knockdown than a 9mm and still a minimal chance of pass through damage, again unlike the .45 cal.
Still , the .45 knockdown/staydown is hard to beat in an auto :)
Time to bring in inspector Clouseau. Yea, thats all i got.
Must be a cheese salesman.
Murdering someone you have no connection to is a very easy crime to get away with
These murders have happened in Grigny- Essonne (south of Paris).First victim was shot multiple times end of November in this workers' suburb-a 35 yr old woman in the apartment blgds' parking lot- she was a laboratory asst. 2nd victim shot once in the head who resided in the same bldg -a man. 3rd victim March 29- a 81 yr old man at the netrance in similar block in Grigny neighbourhood of Ris-Orangis- one shot in the head. 4th victim a 47 yr old widow with an 18 yr old son who worked at Orly Airport in the staircase of her bldg in Grigny. Her name was Nadjia Lahsene. Those witnessing the murder (one shot in the head with the same gun 7.65 small-calibre semi-automatic- all murders comnmitted with the same weapon).described the killer as a man - an 'European" (witnesses couldn't tell from which country-which district) 180 cm tall,with 'stout' build dressed in a windbraker style 'bombers'' black leather jacket and had a satchel -riding a blue colored Suzuki GXSR1,000 with white stripes or supporting white bands with no number plates attached. (Le Parisien.fr) There are over 100 police patrolling in Essonne-Grigny area,checking . So far there is no motive for all these killings- no ties between victims-no political/religious ties either.
It seems to me that we have enough of our own murders to worry about without having to worry about murders going on in other parts of the world. The murders in Tulsa, OK are a real good example. Hopefully all the murdering SOB's will be caught and brought to justice. My condolences to all the families of the victims.
7.65mm handgun round.....German Police Issue, the
7.65-mm Sauer Pistol M1938
Probably a Very common Pawn shop or used gun shop weapon in France and Germany If such exist over there. Otherwise, Black Market..Then there is always the Retired Officer or heir of an officer who carried and retained their service weapon.....One step further into fantasy land, the erratic nature of the choice in victims might mean there is a clandestine nature to it all...eliminating loose ends.
Political affiliations, racial connections, protest groups..all this should be checked as far as backgrounds of the victims.
The commonality of the round for the area would be the best choice for wet work for a paid assassin since its so common tracing becomes more difficult........Just musing!!! :o)