Two people were killed following a shooting targeting a shisha cafe in the city of Ivry-sur-Seine, in the suburbs of the French capital, Paris, as judicial authorities launched an investigation into the circumstances of the crime amid suspicions linking it to a settling of scores.
The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office stated on Wednesday that the incident occurred during the night from Sunday to Monday inside a cafe named “L’Atelier.” The owner of the cafe died at the scene, while a second person passed away at the hospital on Tuesday from their injuries.
The Agence France-Presse (AFP) cited a security source reporting that the cafe’s guard sustained minor injuries to one of his hands, while investigators found a burnt-out stolen car near the location containing a Kalashnikov assault rifle inside.
Police arrested two suspects who were in possession of a container of gasoline on suspicion of involvement in burning the car, though their direct connection to the shooting has not yet been confirmed.
According to the newspaper Le Parisien, it is likely that the cafe owner—described as a figure previously known in local criminal circles—was the target of a targeted assassination carried out by a woman with the assistance of two other individuals who remain at large, a hypothesis that has not been officially confirmed by judicial authorities.
The newspaper added that the second victim is believed to have worked as a valet parking attendant for customers and was shot by individuals suspected of participating in the operation.
The cafe owner had previously survived an assassination attempt in April 2024, when he managed to evade a gunman targeting him, according to data provided by the French newspaper.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office explained that the investigation, led by the judicial police and the criminal brigade in Paris, covers suspicions of murder and attempted murder within an organized gang, destruction of property by dangerous means, along with violations related to weapons possession and the formation of a criminal conspiracy.
The competent authorities are continuing their investigations to identify the potential perpetrators and the motives behind the crime, and to verify any connection to previous disputes or criminal activities.