A man was shot and injured by police at a train station in Paris following alleged threats to harm his wife and children. The incident led to a partial evacuation of Montparnasse train station, located in the heart of the French capital. Authorities from the Paris prosecutor’s office revealed that the individual, who was carrying a knife, had a history of involvement in domestic violence cases.
Law enforcement officers were stationed at the platform to apprehend the man. Upon his arrival on a TGV train, he brandished a knife, leading one officer to fire shots at his legs in order to disarm him, as per the prosecutor’s office. Subsequently, the suspect reportedly inflicted a self-inflicted stab wound to his throat.
During the commotion, a bystander sustained a foot injury from a bullet fragment, but it was not life-threatening, as reported by Actu Paris. Medical assistance was promptly provided to the injured individual.
Prior to boarding the OUIGO train en route from Rennes to Paris, the suspect allegedly made menacing remarks directed towards his family, according to a law enforcement source cited by Reuters. An eyewitness recounted that police fired two shots after instructing the man to drop the knife upon disembarking the train.
Emergency services swiftly attended to the injured suspect, and a security perimeter was established, resulting in a partial evacuation of the train station. The prosecutor’s office stated, “Preliminary information indicates that a man with a history of domestic violence wielded a knife, leading to intervention by law enforcement officers. The man proceeded to harm himself, prompting immediate medical response.”
Two separate investigations have been initiated following the incident. One investigation, overseen by the 3rd Judicial Police District, focuses on the attempted assault on a person in authority by the knife-wielding individual. The second inquiry, led by the IGPN, is tasked with examining the circumstances surrounding the use of a firearm by a person in authority.
The suspect had previously received an 18-month suspended sentence in September for alleged domestic violence offenses, according to the prosecutor’s office. Jean-Baptise Marty, a journalist at Europe 1 radio station in France, detailed the incident on social media, highlighting the police intervention at Montparnasse station in response to the individual’s threatening behavior towards his family.