Murder of a police officer in Avignon: two suspects arrested
Avignon, May 9, 2021. In front of a large and compact crowd, police officers pay tribute to their colleague Eric Masson, killed on duty.
AFP - NICOLAS TUCAT
Text by: RFI Follow
4 min
Two people suspected of being involved in the murder of police officer Eric Masson on Wednesday May 5 were arrested Sunday evening, a few hours after a tribute that gathered an emotional crowd in front of the Avignon police station.
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The gunman who fatally shot the 36-year-old brigadier in central Avignon fled immediately with his accomplice.
Sunday evening, two suspects were arrested about twenty kilometers from Avignon, AFP learned from a source close to the case, without further details.
Contacted, the Avignon prosecutor's office did not wish to comment at this stage.
The Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, who will attend a national tribute to the police officer chaired by Prime Minister Jean Castex on Tuesday, for his part congratulated the police via Twitter for these arrests, believing that "
this crime should in no case go unpunished
”.
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in Avignon, Emmanuel Macron brings his “unfailing support” to the security forces
Early Sunday afternoon, several thousand people - 5,000 according to the police - plainclothes policemen or residents of the surrounding area came to lay flowers or put a note on the condolence registers in front of the portrait of the father of the family, on the steps of the police station. During this rally, at the call of the trade unions, the silence was interrupted only by applause for the police and two Marseillaises.
Eric Masson's teammates, very tried, were present but not his family who expressed their need for tranquility in this moment of mourning and wishes to stay away from any political and media unrest.
In the crowd, a lady who prefers to keep her name silent was not hiding her tears.
“
My son was with him, he held his hand when he was dying.
He is devastated.
I feel immense anger against this system.
Why so much hatred?
», Confides this mother of one of the crossing guards of Eric Masson's team.
Our correspondent in Marseille, Stéphane Burgatt, made the trip to Avignon for the tribute.
There are weapons lying around in the streets, in cities, in small villages, it becomes very complicated for us.
I still love my job.
Until when, I don't know ...
Rally in tribute to Eric Masson, killed in Avignon
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