Nanterre massacre
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
|
Related e |
|
Featured: |
The Nanterre massacre was a mass murder that occurred on 27 March 2002, in Nanterre, France. Gunman Richard Durn opened fire at the end of a town council meeting, resulting in the deaths of eight councilors, and the injury of 19 others. Durn committed suicide the following day, by leaping from a police station window during questioning.
Shooting
At approximately 1:15 a.m. (CEST), at the Nanterre town hall, following a meeting of the municipal council chaired by Mayor Jacqueline Fraysse, Richard Durn rose from his seat, removed firearms previously hidden under his jacket, and opened fire. Durn killed eight councilors and injured 19 others; 14 critically, before being overpowered by Gerard Perreau-Bezouille and other councilors. Once overpowered, Durn began shouting, "Kill me!"
Following events
Durn was interrogated at the police station at 36 Quai des Orfèvres, Paris, on 28 March. After confessing, Durn committed suicide by throwing himself from the fourth floor window.
Durn had sent a letter to a friend in which he explained his plan: "Because I have by my own will become a kind of living-dead, I have decided to end it all by killing a small local elite which is the symbol of, and who are the leaders and decision makers in, a city that I have always detested." He explained that he intended to kill the mayor, "and then as many people as possible [...] I will become a serial killer, a mad killer. Why? Because I am frustrated and I do not want to die alone, because I have had a shitty life. I want to feel powerful and free just once."
