Part of French city sealed off after rival drug gangs exchange Kalashnikov fire

Clips shared on social media show rival gang members engaged in a fire fight in Montpellier, France, on November 1

Credit: Twitter

One person was wounded as rival drug dealers exchanged semi-automatic gunfire in a deprived neighbourhood of the southern French city of Montpellier on Sunday, police and witnesses said.

Soldiers and police sealed off part of the Paillade district after youths wearing hoods and masks, fired Kalashnikov assault rifles in a clash at the foot of a tower block. The casualty was taken to hospital and placed under police guard. The seriousness of the wounds and the identity of the injured person were not made public.

Some of the shooting was filmed and the footage went viral on social media.

The incident came with France on maximum security alert after a series of Islamist attacks in recent weeks, including the killing of three people in a knife attack in a Nice church on Thursday and the beheading of a teacher last month.

About 7,000 soldiers are patrolling French streets along with thousands of police. Some of the soldiers taking part in the anti-terrorism operation set up a security perimeter after the shooting.

Police launched an investigation, but no arrests were made.The hostilities are believed to have involved six youths, with a group of four facing two rivals, a police source said.

Witnesses told the local newspaper, Midi Libre, that the clash was sparked by a dispute among drug gangs.

The shooting erupted on the third day of France’s second coronavirus lockdown. People without a valid reason to go out are supposed to stay at home or risk a €135 (£122) fine.

France was shaken during the summer by a surge in shootings as gangs fought turf wars in as number of cities including Nice, Bordeaux and Grenoble.

In August video footage appearing to show drug dealers openly carrying assault rifles sparked outrage in Grenoble. Prosecutors opened an investigation after it was broadcast on national television, although it was later claimed that the footage had been staged.

The gang wars erupted after early releases of convicts during France’s first coronavirus lockdown in the spring as the authorities attempted to stem the spread of infections in prisons, according to police and prosecutors.